Something Called Luck
by punnylove
Summary: "I'll give him a reason to stay away from our Kichi," Hikaru clenched a fist meaningfully, "We'll see how 'well-rounded' he is with a rearranged face."
1. Chapter 1

_There are those who are born special, and those who the previous group make special. All of the members of the Ouran High School Host Club would fall under the first category, and when Haruhi Fujioka shattered that vase, she became part of the second category._

_Kyoya Ootori believed firmly that the true meaning of power was remaining in the first category, (being born to one of the richest families in Japan pretty much took care of that), and controlling those who were accepted into the second. The Host Club was a means to that end, for through it they gave the ladies they entertained a glimpse of what being made special could feel like, though the only one they'd fully adopted was a commoner girl who looked like a boy._

_Until now._

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter 1<strong>

Tamaki was dying. He could feel the world growing cold before his eyes, could see his beautiful skin withering as he stared in absolute horror at the Ouran Times. "No," he whispered, and the girls behind him swooned at the look of princely woe on his face, "It _cannot _be."

"What cannot be, Tamaki?" Kyoya was getting impatient. The blonde "king" of the Host Club had been staring at Ouran's student-run paper and moaning for the last five minutes, and it was getting on his nerves.

"Yeah, and since when do _you _read the paper anyway?" the twins sidled up behind Tamaki, and Kyoya watched, wondering if they would be able to snap Tamaki out of the state he was in. Hikaru and Kaoru had a particular talent for doing that.

Sure enough, Tamaki's back straightened as he flung out a hand dramatically. "My dearest daughter proclaimed that all the educated read the paper," he declared, eliciting another squeal from his customers. (_Really, _Kyoya thought, it was just too easy_._)

"That doesn't answer—" Kaoru started

"—our question," Hikaru finished.

They smirked. "What are _you _doing reading the paper?"

"Stop it, guys," Haruhi said wearily. The brown-eyed girl stood up, hefting a thick math book. "I'm trying to study. Why does it matter why Senpei's reading the paper anyway? Isn't it more important to see what got him so worked up?"

Kyoya blinked. As always, the sensible commoner states the obvious. He picked up the paper, which had skidded near him after Tamaki's dramatics. Flipping it open to the page Tamaki had dog-eared, he glanced at the heading. "The most popular people on campus," he read aloud.

And number one was—he frowned. "Kaiya Sakura?"

"What?"

"_What?_"

"Oh, Kichi-chan! Takashi, you remember her, right?"

"Yeah."

Tamaki whimpered, looking at Kyoya with big, teary eyes. "How can it not be me?" he asked piteously, "After all I have done, dedicating my life to bringing joy and happiness to these lovely ladies—"

"Not all of the students in Ouran are ladies," Haruhi pointed out, "According to the paper, the polls were open to both girls and boys." She'd abandoned her studying to sit next to them, and was scanning her own copy of the Ouran Times thoughtfully.

Hikaru and Kaoru exchanged looks. "Do you recognize her name, Haruhi?"

"I think so—" Haruhi's forehead wrinkled as she thought. Turning to Honey, she asked, "Didn't you say you knew her?" The small third-year boy was currently shoveling down a piece of cake bigger than his head, but he nodded vigorously anyway.

"Shmm ah mmphhoo!"

"She's a middle-schooler," Kyoya translated, earning several strange looks from the other hosts. He shrugged, "Just because I don't choose to reveal all my talents…"

"Kaiya skipped a couple grades," Kaoru explained, scratching his head, "She's in our class, but most people call her Kichi. You remember, the one who tied with you during finals week for first?"

"Her family owns a lucrative chain of hotels," Kyoya cleared his throat. "_Very _lucrative." Haruhi glanced at him and blanched, sidling away slightly.

"The Sakuras?" the twins asked simultaneously, "Kichi's _their_ daughter? We always thought her parents were the tea-set makers!"

"That's Keiko Sakura," Kyoya said dryly, "He's male." His glasses glinted as he pushed them up his nose, "However, I have to agree with Tamaki—I expected one of us to top the list, though I'd be lying if I said I expected it to be Tamaki."

"Yeah, I can't believe we're a lousy third," Hikaru grumbled, "Who knew you were so popular with the student body, Kyoya?"

"What are you complaining about, you hoodlum?" Tamaki cried, "I'm seventh! _Seventh!_"

The Hitachiin smirked, "Yeah, tough luck, Boss. Everyone except Haruhi beat you out." They turned to look at the boy/girl, who was busily serving tea, "Speaking of which, Haruhi, how'd you get all the way down to fifteen?"

The girl shrugged, "With the Host Club and studying, I don't get out much," she said, "It doesn't really matter." The girls around her swooned at the honesty in her face, and Haruhi smiled at them, "I appreciate you ladies voting for me though, it's a real honor."

Across the room, a group of girls were trying to comfort a pouting Tamaki. "Don't worry, Tamaki-senpei," one of them said, "We still love you, it's just that Kichi-chan's so—" she broke off, melting back into the group. "So cool!" another voice supplied, helpfully.

"And cute!"

"And smart!"

"And nice!"

Tamaki felt each compliment stab into his heart like an arrow as the girls went from praising him to praising this—usurper. A thought clicked into his mind, "I have a question for you ladies," he declared, rising from the ground, "If she is as an accomplished lady as you all say she is, why has she not visited the host club?"

"I've asked Kichi to come," a plump girl whose father was ran Japan's biggest fast-food chain supplied, "She always says no."

"Then we must convince her otherwise," Tamaki said, "I must meet this, 'Kichi!'" He turned to Kyoya, "Kyoya—"

"Fine," Kyoya said, cutting the boy off mid-sentence, "I've been wanting to meet her myself. There aren't many girls who haven't stepped foot in the Host Club at one time or another, even if it's just out of curiosity." He turned to their guests and gave an apologetic smile, "So sorry, ladies, but we will be closing early today. Does anyone know where Ms. Sakura is during club hours?"

"I do!" Honey raised his hand high, "Kichi-chan's in the dojo!" At the others' (minus Mori), surprised looks, he continued, "Kichi-chan's adopted, and she told me that her parents got her to help take care of her brothers and sisters. I know she's supposed to be serving her big brother Kaisei today."

_Serving, _Kyoya thought, _Interesting way of putting it. Adopted or not she is a Sakura, and surely they would not treat one of their own as a servant…_

Then again, the rich were known to have all sorts of strange habits, and the Sakuras in particular had always been an eccentric bunch.

_**OHSHCOHSHC**_

Despite having attended the school for a good five months already, Haruhi had never seen the inside of their dojo. She'd had no reason to—athletics weren't exactly her thing and though the thought of watching Honey and Mori train had piqued her curiosity at first, it had quickly faded after the water-park incident.

She was surprised by how fresh the place seemed. The air was clean and free from the smell of sweat and other body odors, and the ground was as smooth and white as marble. Haruhi bent down to inspect it, and groaned inwardly. Only Ouran could afford solid marble floors and a lobby for their school dojo.

She caught Honey grinning at her and he beamed even brighter, "Do you like it, Haru-chan? It's so nice, right?"

She nodded, and followed the others as they made their way into the dojo. The immediate aroma of hot, sticky bodies hit her like a fist in the stomach, and Haruhi had to suppress a sigh of relief. So they were human after all. Boys wrestled, fought hand-to-hand, and received training from men with muscles thicker than her thighs.

Honey and Mori led them across the floor, heading for the area where older boys practiced kendo. Haruhi had to admit, they were impressive, spinning and slashing each other faster than her eyes could follow. "That one's Kaisei," Honey said.

Haruhi's eyes followed his finger as he pointed to one of the sparring boys. He was obviously winning the match, his opponent barely managing to block his thrusts. Finally, there was an opening and the Kaisei twisted the other boy's katana out of his hands before leveling his own blade at the others' throat.

Haruhi blinked. _Wait, katana—_

"Only the most experienced fighters are allowed to use real weapons," Kyoya said blandly, and Haruhi jumped, wondering yet again if the Shadow King could read minds. It wouldn't surprise her. "All of us," the older boy added, "Are qualified to use real weapons. Excluding you of course."

_This _surprised her. She'd never really thought of the Host Club—besides Mori and Honey—using weapons. Then again, they _were_ required to take P.E. classes, and she supposed it helped explain the lean muscles that drew in their customers.

Kaisei pulled off his helmet, revealing sweat-slicked black hair and intense blue eyes. He held out his arms, and Haruhi wondered if the dojo had attendees to help the boys take off their padding—but no, the other boy was pulling off his own gear.

"Ah, there she is," Kyoya said, and Haruhi instinctively glanced to her right, just as Kaiya shot by her and skidded to a halt in front of her older brother.

* * *

><p><em>I know, no character description yet—I wanted to get some feedback first. Like it, hate it? Have some ideas you'd like to share? From what I've described so far, how do you guys envision Kichi? Review and let me know!<em>


	2. Chapter 2

_Review and let me know what you think!_

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter 2<strong>

_Most people have more than one person inside them. Most of the time, people choose to hide this other person, fearing what their friends and family will think if they suddenly throw off the polished, fifty-thousand dollar suit and hitchhike to China instead._

_Tamaki Suoh was not one of this category. He had an eye for people who had another face struggling inside them for a couple minutes in the sun, and so he formed the Ouran High School Host Club and named himself King. After all, who better to lead this group than the boy who'd tried hiding his other face to please him Grandmother for almost his entire life?_

_But there's a danger to embracing these new personalities, for as time goes by they take a life of their own. Sometimes, Hikaru instinctively cups Kaoru's chin before realizing that they aren't in front of an audience. Sometimes, Honey forgets that he's not hosting and giggles at a match._

_Seemingly harmless, save for a couple awkward moments. But as time goes on, if these hidden characters are allowed to run free, they can dominate their hosts' true personality, until the person in question has been completely transformed._

_Now, imagine a girl who has been forced to play multiple roles for her entire life, who has never even thought about what her true self was like. You have now successfully imagined the soul of Kichi Sakura._

* * *

><p>The Host Club, minus Honey and Mori, was in utter and total shock. Hikaru turned to look at his twin, and mouthed silently, "Didn't she have blonde curls before?" Kaoru shrugged helplessly. "I thought she had red hair."<p>

"How can you two not know?" Tamaki demanded, "You two are shameful hosts. My dear daughter, on the other hand, will give us the accurate answer when it comes to Princess Sakura's hair color!" He turned to Haruhi expectantly, only to be met with a blank look.

"She was always running in and out," the cross-dresser explained, "I remember going weeks without seeing her. I always just assumed she was sick or something." She frowned, trying to remember. "But Hikaru's right, I think she was blonde last time I saw her—but Koaru's right too. She had red hair during finals week. I remember because she kept pulling at it like she was uncomfortable, or something."

"Shameful hosts, huh Boss?" the twins circled Tamaki, "I think you owe us an apology…"

"Focus," the blonde snapped, "There's a mystery afoot here. How can one child dye her hair so many times? Could it be that she is merely eccentric? No, there must be another answer." He took a step forward, only to have Kyoya place a hand on his shoulder.

"Perhaps Honey and Mori should handle this," the Shadow King commented, "After all, they seem to know her best out of all of us." Turning to the two, he was met with blank space where the oldest members of the club had been mere moments before. "Where did they—"

"Kichi-chan!" the childish shout drew their attention. Honey had bounded forward, wrapping his arms around the girl's shoulders.

Kichi Sakura was small for her age, and young for her grade, which made her very small indeed. She was only a head taller than the tiny third-year, and so the host club got a good look at her face as she hugged the senior back. Her hair was pure black, and tied in a traditional samurai's bun. A couple strands escaped it to curl around her cute face, and framed her large strikingly-gray eyes.

_That's strange, _Hikaru thought, _I could have sworn those eyes were—_

"Kichi-chan, you're wearing colored lenses again," Mori said. He strode over and plucked Honey off of the girl before placing one hand on her head. "You know that's not good for someone with perfect vision."

Kichi smiled at the taller boy, prompting a delighted sigh from Tamaki, "Kaisei likes gray eyes," she explained, "He thinks they're very warrior-like." Remembering suddenly that said brother was currently standing impassively with his arms stretched, still waiting to be helped out of his padding, she rushed forward, expertly pulling off the makeshift armor and handing Kaisei a water bottle.

The senior took a drink, capped it, and then abruptly cuffed Kichi on the side of the head. For a moment, Hikaru's vision grew red and he started forward, but Mori, surprisingly, held him back. Kichi stared at her brother, but didn't make a sound, even though it must have hurt.

"Do not forsake your duties in order to dally again," Kaisei ordered. He turned, and then started walking away, calling a "dismissed," over his shoulder. Kichi remained standing, still in the same stiff position until he was out of sight, and then relaxed.

Honey's eyes were hard as he stared off after her older brother, "Kichi-chan," he growled, and it was Mitsukuni Haninozuka who spoke, not the sweet, bubbly Honey, "Are you sure you don't want me to—"

"I'm sure," the girl's voice was cheerful. She walked over to the bench, where an ice pack was waiting. "See? He always leaves this for me, just in case I need reprimanding." Pressing the pack to her the side of her head, she gave a little smile, "Don't worry, he's not trying to hurt me. He just wants to make sure I grow up to be disciplined and strong."

"By hitting you?" Hikaru burst out, "I'm pretty sure that's not out of the kindness of his heart."

She turned to him, confused. "Um…"

"Hikaru Hitachiin? I'm in your year." No response. "I'm a twin?" Still no response. "I'm a host?" Realization flashed into her face, and she gave him a sudden grin. "Oh, you're one of the devilish twins, right? Masumi loves you!" She gave him a thumbs-up, and then turned to the others. "Sorry, but I have to go. Nice meeting you…" she blinked, realizing that she hadn't, in fact, truly met anyone. "Or, um, nice sort of meeting you. Bye!"

_**XXXXXXXXXX**_

"How can she not know who I am?" Hikaru grumbled, leaning into his brother. Kaoru gave him a comforting pat on the back. "Hey, judging by the look on her face, she doesn't know any of us except Honey and Mori." The hosts were gathered around a small table, waiting for customers to start arriving.

This week's theme had been inspired by the dojo scene, and each member was dressed as a different martial arts warrior. Tamaki's intense look complimented his blue kimono perfectly, but the fact that he was grasping Kyoya's hands ruined the effect. "Please, Kyoya," the blonde said, "You must have found some clue of our elusive princess. I cannot bear to think that she has never felt the warmth of my name!"

"Names can't give warmth, Tamaki," Kyoya commented, "And you grabbing on to my hands won't help me type faster. In fact, it's hampering my efforts considerably." Pulling his hands free, he resumed typing on his laptop, and a moment later, smiled in satisfaction. "Ah, found it."

The host club gathered around him as Kyoya read, "Masumi Sakura, second-year, a regular customer to the Host Club, and Kichi's older sister. She is quite the fan of our 'loving brothers' act, though she regularly visits each host. She's quite the client."

Flipping open his cellphone, he dialed a couple numbers, and then said, "Yes, could you pass along this message to Ms. Masumi Sakura please? Tell her that the Host Club requests that she bring her younger sister, first-year Kaiya Sakura, to the club today."

The rest of the host club blanched as he gave a self-satisfied smile before shutting off the phone. "Uh, Kyoya, who was that?" Tamaki finally ventured.

"Ms. Sakura's private masseuse. She is very fond of in-class backrubs."

"And you have her number because—"

"Well, I could have called Ms. Masumi directly, but I didn't want to create too much of a stir."

Hikaru and Kaoru exchanged glances. _That told us a whole lot of nothing._

"They should be here shortly," Kyoya noted, glancing at the clock, "Club hours will start in approximately five seconds, and I predict the room will fill up quickly after my request. Ms. Masumi doesn't strike me as the type to keep quiet, and our regular customers will be drawn to the mystery of us requesting a guest, especially after Tamaki's theatrics over her placement as the most popular person on campus." He pushed his glasses up his nose, the lenses gleaming and hiding his eyes. "I believe I shall raise the prices per hour."

Haruhi muttered something that would have sent Tamaki wailing about dirty-mouthed daughters, but then the clock struck two and the doors flew open. As Kyoya predicted, the room was packed within the hour, and the hosts were barely able to keep up with them all.

"Is it true, you have requested Kichi's presence?" a tall girl asked Tamaki breathlessly.

He smiled at her and ran a hand through his hair between bringing her close. "My princess, I cannot lie in the presence of your beauty, I have indeed. My noble soul simply cannot stand the knowledge that a young lady privileged enough to be in our esteemed school has never stepped foot into our glorious club."

**... ... ...**

"Does this have something to do with the fact that she beat you guys out in that article?" the three first-years demanded, and then gasped in unison as the twins began their brotherly love act.

"Kaoru, you know you'll always be number one in my heart, right?"

"Of course, Hikaru, and you in mine…"

**... ... ...**

Haruhi forced another smile as the girl beside her accosted her arm and asked, "What do you think about all this, Haruhi?" The "natural" one of the host club processed the question, brown eyes going soft as she remembered the smile on Kichi's face when she'd greeted Honey.

"Well, I think Kichi seems like a very nice person," she said thoughtfully, the honest look on her face eliciting squeals from her audience, "I haven't been able to really meet her even though we're in the same year. I guess I'm looking forward to this opportunity to get to know her better."

Just then, Masumi Sakura herself walked in, immediately capturing the attention of everyone in the room. From their corner, Hikaru and Kaoru abruptly let each other go and crowded in, watching as the second-year girl joined the audience of an oblivious Tamaki, who, unaware of the newcomer's arrival, was still in his "princely samurai mode."

Masumi Sakura was quite beautiful, with red hair pulled up in a sophisticated knot and a full figure, but the fact that she was currently squealing over Tamaki's theatrics ruined any air of maturity she might have otherwise had. The twins vaguely remembered her now—hadn't she fainted after their burnt finger scene?

And where was Kichi? The whispers flew around the room, until a plump third-year finally popped the question to the girl.

"Oh," Masumi said, tossing her head, "Kaisei had her dressed up in such a ridiculous outfit that I had to sent her home to change. After all, I can't have my _sister_ coming to the Host Club dressed like a common waterboy, can I? She must be at the loveliest she can be! Luckily, _my _fashion sense is far superior to my brother's."

Snapping open her phone, she dialed, giving the twins a foreboding sense of déjà vu as she smiled smugly and said, "Yes, this is Masumi. Is Kichi ready? I'd like to present my sister now." As if on cue, the door promptly flew open and the little girl was pushed inside.

There was a silence, and then the room exploded in sound.

"Kichi-chan, you're so cute!"

"I want you as my little sister!"

"Come give Onee-chan a hug and kiss!"

"No, come _here, _darling!"

The last imperious call came from Masumi, and Kichi, looking relieved, trotted over. True to Hikaru's memory, she was now in possession of soft blonde curls that reached down to her lower back and bright blue eyes. Watching as Masumi fussed over her dress—which was covered with enough frills to make any five-year old swoon—and planted an affectionate kiss in Kichi's hair.

"You look so cute, Kichi! Don't you love the dress?"

Kichi beamed and nodded enthusiastically. Despite the dress being meant for someone much younger, it suited her surprisingly well. The pastel colors helped bring out the brightness of her rosy cheeks, blue eyes, and blonde curls, and the soft fabric clung to her not-yet developed body.

Hikaru fought off a scowl as he watched her. How could someone as cute as she was not notice him? Weren't beautiful people supposed to attract? Exchanging a glance with Kaoru, he abruptly fell into their favorite routine, the one that never ceased to get attention.

"Hikaru, everyone seems to like Kichi-chan so much! Do you wish you had a sister like her instead of a brother like me?"

"No, of course not Kaoru—you're the only brother I could ever want!"

"Hikaru!"

"Kaoru!"

Masumi's eyes were big red hearts as she and the girls around her screamed. The red-haired girl turned to her younger sister, pointing emphatically at the twins. "You see, Kichi, this is why you should come to this club. Wasn't that just delicious?"

Hikaru smirked, and sidled closer. "Yeah, _Kichi_-chan," he said, wrapping an arm around her shoulder, as Kaoru did the same from the other side, "Weren't we _delicious?_" They put their faces close to hers, noting the squeals from their other customers as they whispered, "Do you want to taste us?"

"Cease your perverted antics!" Tamaki cried, snatching Kichi free. Dropping to one knee, he kissed her hand and declared, "Let me introduce you to the Host Club, the proper way." Spinning her into the lap of her sister, who clutched Kichi excitedly and ordered her to pay attention, he began.

"I'm Tamaki, the King of this humble establishment—also known as the princely type. Those two shameless hooligans are Hikaru and Kaoru, and they are the little devil types. Stay away from them, Princess, or you will be forever tainted by their foulness!"

"Thanks, Boss," the twins said wryly, "Way to go for promoting our club's reputation."

"Kyoya Ootori is our vice-president, and the cool type," Tamaki continued, ignoring the interruption, "You seem to be acquainted with Honey, our Boy Lolita type, and Mori, our strong, silent type, though he can also be our wild type. And finally, I want to introduce you to my beloved daugh—"

"Haruhi Fujioka is our 'natural' type," Kyoya interrupted as the twins clamped their hands over Tamaki's traitorous mouth. He bowed, glasses glinting, "Nice to make your acquaintance, Ms. Sakura. Your arrival has caused quite an increase in profits. I hope you will be joining us again soon?"

"Of course she will," Masumi said, smiling at Kichi, "How could she refuse?"

Kichi nodded obediently, but there was a worried look on her face. "But Masumi, what about—"

Her older sister patted her on the head. "Don't worry, Onee-chan will take care of mean ol' Kaisei and anyone else who tries to get in the way. For now, why don't you go have some tea with Haruhi and enjoy yourself." Whipping on a pair of sunglasses, the older girl pulled out her phone and began dialing, the lenses of her sunglasses hiding her eyes.

_She reminds me too much of a certain host when she does that, _Hikaru thought, as he and Kaoru followed Kichi to Haruhi's table. He glanced at Tamaki's corner, half expecting the boy to rush forward with a protective yell, but Tamaki, horrified at what he had almost given away and currently being comforted by his customers, was too busy being fawned over to notice.

"So, Kichi," he asked, sliding into the seat next to her, "What's with the obedience thing? Are you, like, a slave or something?"

Kaoru elbowed him, but joined in anyway. "I heard the Sakura family's pretty big, do you do the outfit changing thing for all of them?"

Haruhi's eyebrow twitched in annoyance. _Didn't these rich people know anything about manners? _She smiled reassuringly at Kichi. "You don't have to answer if you don't want to."

The girl shrugged, propping her chin in her hands as she watched Masumi interacting with Honey and Mori. "It's ok, I don't mind. It's like, a Sakura family tradition. Every generation, they adopt a child and raise him or her as their own, except kind of not. We're like, super-loyal servants." she gave a little twitch of her shoulders, "I don't know, really, Mother didn't really talk about it that much. She said it had something to do with an ancestor's paranoia or something."

"But they can hit you and stuff? Isn't that kind of dangerous?" Hikaru demanded, remembering the dojo scene. He could feel his fists clenching as the memory of Kaisei cuffing his sister flashed through his mind. "I mean, what if one of them loses his temper and—"

"My brothers and sisters love me," Kichi said, her eyes stubborn, "They just expect different things from me, that's all. I was starving in the streets before the Sakuras took me in—this is the least I can do to repay them."

"But going so far," Haruhi said hesitantly, "Kichi, do you even _want _to come to the Host Club?"

"I want to do whatever Masumi wants me to do," Kichi said. Standing abruptly, she stalked over to Masumi, plopped down in her lap, and gave her a spontaneous kiss on the cheek. Her eyes, when Haruhi's, were defiant.

Tamaki had come over to sit with them, blue eyes concerned. "I wonder if she even knows what she truly wants," he murmured, taking the seat Kichi had previously occupied. Snapping his fingers, he sat up purposely and announced for the hosts' ears only.

"Well, then. We must help her discover herself! _Operation: Find Kichi's True Self_ is now in action!"


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter 3**

_Most of the time, Tamaki is, undoubtedly, an idiot. However, as the Host Club has come to realize, he's an idiot with very good instincts._

_Takashi "Mori" Morinozuka is known for his instincts as well. On the battlefield, he may not be as powerful as Mitsukuni, but his sixth sense of where exactly his enemy is going to attack makes him just as deadly. When asked, he's said that it's due to his role as Honey's guardian. One needs to have a little something extra to keep up with the hyperactive boy._

_The point is, because Mori is a man with good instincts, the fact that he trusts Tamaki to lead their club shows how sharp the blonde's sixth sense really is. And, sure enough, Tamaki Suoh has never led them astray._

_But still—Mori can't help but wonder if the King has finally lost his edge when he ends up sneaking into the highly protected Sakura mansion to crash a ten-year old's eleventh birthday party—wearing a clown suit._

* * *

><p>"Stop laughing, you hooligans, you'll give us away!"<p>

"Sorry...haha…Boss—but Mori-sempai—haha—you're wearing a _red _nose."

"Hm." The grunt was just a little more threatening than usual, and the twins shut up, though their attempt to seem serious was ruined by the occasional glances and snickers that shot towards the large plush appendage on the edge of the stoic boy's face.

Mori adjusted the red bulbous _thing _he'd been forced to don and scanned the perimeters. The Host Club was crouching outside the Sakura estates, all wearing bright, colorful costumes. Honey had sabotaged all the surveying cameras, but Mori wasn't taking any chances of them getting caught.

"Boss, explain to us again why we're sneaking in?" Hikaru drolled, leaning against the wall.

"Yeah," Kaoru finished, "Poor Haruhi looks like she's about to strangle you."

Sure enough, the commoner of the Host Club was glowering at her "daddy," who immediately fell to his knees in abject shame. Tamaki was wearing an elegant suit and the top hat of a ringmaster, and the sight of him kneeling to Haruhi, who was dressed like a ticket boy, was enough to set the twins off again.

Interrupting their chuckling with a wave of his hand, Tamaki gestured dramatically at the Sakura mansion—or, at least, the walls that surrounded them.

"My dear daughter, we are engaging in the first step of 'Operation: Find Kichi's True Self!' In order to figure out who Kichi truly is, we must first figure out what she is not—or rather, what she has been forced to become. She has more siblings than just Kaisei and Masumi, and we intend to find out what character she plays for them as well!"

Mori shifted uncomfortably, remembering the morning's events.

**OHSHCOHSHC**

_xxx Flashback xxx_

"_Oh, ho, ho, ho!" Renge laughed as Tamaki finished telling her about Kichi, "I understand your dilemma! Well, you are fortunate that I, the world's most devoted otaku, is here to help you figure out who exactly Kichi is being forced to become!"_

_Pointing at no one in particular, the girl declared, "It is obvious that she is playing the 'Squire' to Kaisei, the obedience, simple clothing and hairstyle says it all. As such, she is expected to behave as properly as her Maser, though she will often require his stern discipline to temper her enthusiastic and cheerful nature. Though he is outwardly harsh, he secretly cannot live without her, and after overcoming many trials and facing near death—they shall fall in love and be together forever!"_

_Watching as Renge spiraled off into otaku-heaven, the Host Club sweat-dropped. "Uh, Renge? They're kind of siblings," Tamaki started._

"_Oh, good, I love an incestuous relationship." Renge interrupted airily, "As for her relationship with Masumi, she is obviously playing the part of the Lolita. Haven't you noticed how similar the treatment Kichi and Honey get? To be quite honest, I'm ashamed of you bunch. Haven't I taught you better?"_

_Shaking her head in disappointment, she continued. "She is a doll, a bundle of cuteness that everyone loves. Her sister adores her and no doubt dresses her up daily, and she responds with all the affection in her little heart—oh, I could just cry!"_

_Renge dabbed at her eyes theatrically before looking up. "I must know more. When you find out more, fill me in and I shall inform you more on the various characters of Kichi Sakura. Until then, I shall wait in nervous anticipation of the day that the next episode of 'Kichi Sakura's True Self' comes out!"_

_xxx Flashback Ends xxx_

**OHSHCOHSHC**

"So far, she is listed to have two younger siblings, a girl of two and a boy of ten. My sources have also found that she has several cousins, though their part in this Operation is still unknown." Kyoya's voice was cool and professional, much like a tactician's should be. Mori approved.

"Our mission today, my dear daughter," Tamaki added, "Is to infiltrate the birthday party of Kichi's younger brother, Tachiko Sakura. Of course, due to the Sakura's infamous defenses, we must go in disguise and depend on Mori and Honey's expertise to lead the way."

"Well, why don't we change inside instead of having to sneak into looking like this?" Haruhi muttered, and Mori gave a small smile. He suspected that Tamaki's plans would never work unless the boy put them all in costumes. It was just one of the mysteries that was Tamaki Suoh.

There was the faintest hint of a rustle, and then Honey jumped down from the wall above them. "All clear," the boy whispered, "But I think I lost my balloon."

_No, _Mori thought, _This isn't Honey. _The petted darling of the Host Club would have been sniffling at the loss of his toy, but this boy looked like he couldn't care less. No, this was all Mitsukuni. Mori smiled. He'd missed going on missions with his cousin.

XXXXXXXXXX

The way in wasn't too bad, and that was what bother Mitsukuni. The Sakuras were one of the most paranoid families in the world, and getting rid of each of their cameras had been tricky. Why weren't there more guards? The family could certainly afford it, and taking into consideration the fact that there was a birthday party going on, the security should have been doubled.

Instead, the worst they ran into was Tamaki tripping a wire and almost getting vaporized by the friendly-looking garden gnome before Mori pulled him out of the way. It was just too easy.

They were in the building now, and Mitsukuni was starting to get worried. He was about to turn to Takashi and ask him for his opinion when he smelled the cake. Instantly, all thoughts of traps burst free from his mind and he grinned like the boy he appeared to be.

"Takashi, I think we found the party!"

"Mmn," the other boy agreed as they came face-to-face with a huge pair of doors, with squeals and laughter coming from inside.

Tamaki drew his hands through his hair, closing his eyes blissfully. "Ah, I hear the sound of the laughter of youth," he declared, "let us not forget to bring additional joy to the adorable children within even as we complete our mission." Throwing open the door, he lead the Host Club in and, sweeping his arm out, exclaimed, "We are here!"

There was absolute silence.

Honey strained his neck, trying to see around the taller boy. The room wasn't as large as the doors had suggested, being only a little larger than their clubroom. Tables and chairs were set everywhere, with mouth-watering cakes on each plate. Children whose ages ranged from six to twelve were sitting and staring, standing and staring, or eating and staring.

Tachiko—it had to be Tachiko—had dark brown hair, fierce brown eyes, and a face that would one day be as handsome as his older brother's. "Who," the boy said, "Are you?"

"We're your entertainment, of course!"

Honey had to admire the way Tamaki's voice held steady, even though this was clearly not the welcoming adoration he'd expected from the "adorable children." The blonde turned the hosts behind him and gestured desperately for them to step forward.

"Let me introduce you to our clowns, Mori and Honey, the Siamese twins Hikaru and Kaoru, the animal trainer, Kyoya, and our ticket-boy, Haruhi Fujioka. I, of course, am the ringmaster of them all, and together we bring joy, laughter, and fun to youngsters like yourself."

"That's lame," The boy said flatly, "You guys look like you wouldn't know 'fun' if it bit you in the face."

"Tachi, that's not nice," a girl wearing a fluffy pink dress said primly, "You're daddy probably invited them in. As your fiancé, I insist that you allow them to perform."

"I'm _not _your fiancé, Rima," the boy said, but, with a long-suffering sigh, waved his hands. "Fine, you guys can come in."

"What a brat," Hikaru muttered as they filed in, "Oy, Boss! What do you want us to do?"

Tamaki froze, and the other hosts sweat-dropped as he began stuttering. _He hasn't thought of that yet._

Luckily, the children seemed quite able to entertain themselves. Some ate their sweets, while others danced politely to waltzing music. Hikaru found himself looking for Kichi. _Annoying girl's probably got herself dressed up as dog this time or something._

"Ah, our target is sighted," Tamaki said from behind him, and he jumped. The blonde pointed to a group of children, who were cooing over something held in an older girl's lap. The girl looked up, smiling, and Hikaru saw that it was indeed Kichi.

As the Host Club—minus Honey, who was eating cake—ambled over, he saw that she was wearing a simple summer dress, her hair—now black, pulled back in a soft ponytail. She cradled a young child, who was currently being fussed over by the other children.

"Yumi Sakura, three years old," Kyoya murmured for their ears alone, "I've heard that only Kichi can calm her when she starts screaming."

It was hard to imagine the little girl in Kichi's lap being anything less than angelic. With her soft auburn hair and chubby cheeks, she looked like an overgrown infant, not the spoiled child Kyoya was painting her as. As Hikaru watched, however, she opened her big blue eyes, scowled at a too near girl of seven and swatted irritably at the girl before burying her face in Kichi's chest.

It was irrational, Hikaru knew, but he found himself blushing at the little girl's audacity. Kichi may have been small, but there was no way in hell anyone would have been able to mistake her as a boy.

Speaking of which—he stopped abruptly. "Uh, Boss? Shouldn't we not walk toward the girl who we're technically supposed to be spying on?"

"Nonsense," Tamaki assured him, "We are not here to spy, merely to observe and spend some time with our dear Kichi—" he froze as she looked up and fixed him with a glare that would peel rock.

"_What_ are you doing here?"

"Tama-chan's on a mission to find out your true self!" Honey, filled with cake and hyper, had come to join them. Throwing his arms around Kichi, he looked into her face sadly, "Are you mad at us?"

Kichi sighed, shifting so she could bear the boy's weight better. "No," she admitted finally, "I'm not mad. Just kind of annoyed. I already told you, the Sakuras took me off the streets. It's the least I can do to repay them. Besides, how do you even know what my 'true self' is like? I might be acting as my true self all the time."

"Ah, but the thing is, you don't even know what your true self is like," Tamaki said, "You're so used to being whatever your siblings want that you've never really explored what _you_ want."

Yumi, irritated with Honey's proximity to her beloved Kichi, began to protest quite loudly. "Shh, Yumi," Kichi soothed, rocking the little girl until she quieted. The two-year old stuck out her tongue at Honey, who stuck out his tongue back childishly.

Kichi scolded the little girl gently and then turned to the Hosts. "I don't need to know what I want. That would just make things harder. Don't you understand? I was taken off the streets to _be _whatever they wanted me to be. Mother and Father could put me back there anytime they wanted to."

"What? You're not going anywhere, right Kichi?" This was Tachi, who'd walked over during Kichi's outburst. "Are these guys bothering you?" he demanded, turning to the hosts, "I'll call the guards if they are—"

Kichi smiled and ruffled his hair. "Thanks, Tachi, but I'm fine. They're friends from school." The younger boy flushed beet red under her smile, but as soon as he turned away he was glaring again. "If you guys hurt Kichi-chan, then I'll make sure you're punished," he warned, "I'm going to marry her one day and I won't have anyone making her sad."

"What about that lovely young woman, Rima, was it?" Tamaki asked, "Didn't she say she was your betrothed?"

"Weren't you listening, Dumbo?" the boy snapped, "I said she _wasn't_. She's just annoying, that's all."

Honey frowned, something the boy had said pricking at his memory. "Wait, Kichi-chan? Where are your guards? It was really easy for us to get in and—"

The windows shattered as figures in black crashed through them. The children screamed and ran for the doors, and Kichi leaped to her feet, thrusting Yumi into Tachi's arms. "Go, _go_," she ordered urgently, and then ran forward as the assailants lifted their machine guns and fired straight at her body.


	4. Chapter 4

_Couldn't resist. Review and tell me what you think!_

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><p><strong>Chapter 4<strong>

_Things are rarely as they seem. Of course, there is the rare exception—the fact that we breathe seems to mean that we are not yet dead, and in most cases, that is certainly true—but all in all, there is almost always a 99,999 chance to 1 of the story being more than appears._

_On the surface, for example, Kichi Sakura seemed to be normal. Sure, she was playing different roles to suit the desires of her family, but other than that she'd always seemed like any other thirteen-year old girl._

_Of course, there had been clues. The Sakura family didn't gain their wealth with only their hotels—they were also deeply invested in various science and technology companies. There'd been rumors for years that the notoriously paranoid family was investing in some kind of super-weapon._

_As for Kichi's story—Kyoya had always wondered at her claim that her condition was a Sakura family tradition. If that had been true, why hadn't he heard of it before then? And if she was truly just there to be whatever her siblings desired, why adopt her formally into the family?_

_So many questions, so little answers. And the questions just underwent exponential growth._

* * *

><p>The bullets shot towards Kichi. And then the girl jump seven feet into the air and flipped, dodging the bullets neatly and throwing herself into the closest assassin. He went sprawling into the next guy and she grabbed his gun, using it to knock the next man unconscious.<p>

"Haninozuka, Morinozuka," she barked, and threw the weapon backward. Kyoya watched, impressed, as Mori, who'd had his back turned as he pushed a screaming seven-year old out the door, turned and caught the missile she'd hurtled at his head, spun, and fired into the remaining men in the same motion.

Honey, seeing that his friend had grabbed the weapon, chose to dive-bomb the men using nothing more than his hands and feet. For him, it was enough. The rest of the Host Club stared, feeling less than useless as the three decimated the squad.

"Leave them alive," Kichi was ordering as she swept a man's feet form under him and ducked under another man's blow at the same time, "We need to question who sent them."

"Got it," Mori said. Throwing up his elbow, he broke a man's knife and knocked the air out of him.

"Kichi-chan, you're so good at fighting!" Honey called, but his voice, though childlike, lacked the bubbliness it usually did. He knocked over his men like dominoes, regardless of whether they came at him with a gun, a knife, or their bare hands.

"She is," Kyoya murmured, watching as she swung a man three times her size into another, "Too good." Pulling out his phone, he began dialing, but line had gone dead. "Of course," he thought wryly, "the assassins would hardly want anyone being able to call for help, would they."

Through the slightly open double doors, he could see the Sakura guards—he'd thought it'd been surprisingly easy to get in—ducked behind bullet-proof shields, though they made no move to help the three fighting. When the last man fell, however, they rushed in. Within minutes the bodies were gone.

The party was clearly over, however. The children were escorted away, and soon the room was empty of those besides Kichi, the Host Club, and a couple of high-ranking soldiers. "If you don't mind," Kyoya said politely to the nearest man, "I really need to use a phone."

"No one leaves the room until Master Sakura gets here," the man replied.

Kyoya raised an eyebrow. "I can assure you, Master Sakura will not want one of his subordinates to stop an Ootori heir."

The man took out a gun and cocked it, aiming at Kyoya's chest. "No one leaves."

"Harsh," Hikaru said as Kyoya returned, but he was pale. He and Kaoru had linked hands, and were holding each other tightly.

"We're not to leave the premises, on pain of getting shot." Kyoya's voice was tight, "The Sakuras have a lot to explain."

"And so we shall," A smooth voice came from the open door, and a middle-aged man walked into the room. He was a handsome man, and it was apparent where Kaisei and Tachi had gotten their strong features from. "Unless, of course, you prefer leaving here whole. Then I expect you will not want us to explain anything."

"There's no way you will be able to hide the murder of five of the heirs of the richest households in Japan," Kyoya said harshly, "You'll be sentenced to prison within hours."

"Oh, who said anything about killing you?" the man said, "There are worse pains than physical ones."

The door opened and Tachi stumbled in, followed by Kaisei and Masumi. "Ah," their father—the man had to be Tojii Sakura, the head of the Sakura household—said, "You're just in time." Taking out an expensive-looking pistol, he twirled it lightly before turning to Kichi and beckoning. "Come here."

Kichi walked forward, and Tojii Sakura shot her straight in the belly.

Masumi cried out, and she wasn't the only one—Haruhi looked like she was about to rush in and try to stop the man herself, and Mori and Honey were already in action. Tojii Sakura raised the pistol threateningly, pointing it at Kichi's head. "Don't move."

They froze, except for Masumi, who was weeping openly.

"You wanted an explanation," the man said evenly, "Here it is. Watch." Forcing Kichi to turn around and face them, he pointed to the wound, which was already fading and healing. Kichi, however, had gone white.

_The bastard, _Kyoya thought with barely suppressed rage, _she still felt the bullet._

"Kichi Sakura is the first and only of her kind—a bio-engineered weapon," Tojii continued. "We've been working on this technology for generations, but all the subjects died or—malfunctioned. We found Kichi on the streets, and somehow, her body seemed to take to the transformation quite well."

The wound was gone now, though the dress could never be worn again. Kichi sagged, and Mr. Sakura casually smacked her over the head. "Stay standing," he ordered, "If you're that weak, we need to do more training."

Kichi stopped wavering, her body locked with the effort of staying upright. Tojii kept talking, now addressing his children. "I've heard rumors that you've been treating our weapon as a true Sakura. That is unacceptable. You must never forget that she is Sakura only in name, and then only because it is the only disguise that is completely foolproof." He glanced at the Host Club and curled his lip, "Mostly, foolproof."

"You're a monster," Hikaru spat. Kaoru nodded from beside him, eyes furious, "We won't keep quiet."

"Ah, but you will, Hitachiin." The man's smile was genuine. "You see, I might not be able to get away with shooting you, but I can certainly get away with shooting _this_." He gestured at Kichi, who flinched. He cupped her cheek, and then turned to look at the twins. "I wonder how many she could withstand? There are six of you, and perhaps one bullet each would suffice to—"

"Shut up," the twins hissed in unison.

"Very good," the man didn't bother asking the rest of the Host Club. Turning to his children, he heaved a sigh of disappointment at their tight faces. Kaisei's fists were clenched so tightly his knuckles were white, Masumi was crying, and Tachi looked like he wanted to join her.

"You must learn not to care so much," the man said, his voice gentling, "She is a weapon. Never forget that. Now come, you have guests to reassure, and Tachi, I have a special present for you." The boy started to retort, but Masumi grabbed his shoulder, looking meaningfully back at Kichi.

Tachi's clenched his teeth and nodded, the three filing out. Their father started to follow them, and then stopped. Looking casually over his shoulder, he snapped his fingers. "Escort these—_gentlemen_—out and make sure they get home. Give them a couple minutes to think about what they have just witnessed first. You know what to do if they give you trouble."

The door shut behind him with a clang.

**OHCHCOHCHC**

Honey wasn't often angry. Sure, there were those occasional moments when Mitsukuni showed his face and scared everyone a little bit, but it took something very, very bad to make him feel the red-hot rage that had gotten him named as Japan's "nuclear weapon."

Looking at the guards, he let his fury show and felt a surge of satisfaction at the look of terror on their faces—except one, who'd broken the formation. The man was middle-aged, but still incredibly fit, with prematurely silver hair. Despite the fact that his outfit was identical to the other soldiers, but there was something in the way he walked that told Honey he was in charge.

"Sit down," the man ordered, placing both hands on Kichi's shoulders and pushing, "Your muscles will lock up." His voice was gruff, but there a layer of kindness underneath. "Bring a chair," he ordered. Honey watched to see which of his men would obey, but none of them moved.

"Haninozuka," the man barked, "You're a soldier. Move." Behind him, Kichi was swaying again. Honey locked eyes with the Captain—this had to be the infamous Sakura Captain—and slid a chair over to him with a snarl. The man didn't even blink, stopping the piece of furniture with one hand while smoothly hefting Kichi onto it with the other. She gave a quiet gasp as she hit the chair, and that small sound broke the tense silence that had rendered the room silent until then.

Kyoya slammed his fist into the wall, cursing, while the others ran towards the girl. Haruhi, surprisingly, reached her first. "Are you alright, Kichi-can?" she asked, voice trembling, "Are you still wounded?"

Kichi gave her a small smile, wincing as she sat up. "A bullet just traveled through my liver and out my back," she said wryly, "It hurt like crazy, but I healed super fast. I was lucky it didn't get stuck halfway through—last time that happened, I had to go through surgery." Smiling reassuringly, she touched Haruhi's hand. "Don't worry, Haru-chan, he doesn't do this lots. Only to make a point."

"We never should have come," Tamaki said, eyes deadly serious, "We put you in danger, and—"

"No," Kichi turned to him, "I'm glad you came. He was planning on doing something anyway. He didn't like it that Kaisei and Masumi were dressing me up differently, or that Tachi was going around saying that he would marry me."

"How can you be so calm?" Hikaru demanded, "Aren't you angry?"

Kichi slumped back down again, sliding down the big, plush chair and onto her feet. "I'm angry," she said, "but I'm not at the same time. Does that make sense?" Looking at the blank faces around her, she tried to explain. "I hate the pain, but he's the only father I've ever known, so I still kinda love him. He's a good dad to Kaisei, Masumi, and Tachi, and if he'd thought I was human, I would have been treated the same way. He's not evil, right Captain Carter?"

"Tojii Sakura is a good man, albeit a misguided one," the Captain said, "And you, Miss, need to sit down. I don't fancy another tongue-lashing from the other young masters and misses if you faint again."

"Won't you get punished for helping her?" Kaoru asked as Kichi sat obediently back down, "I mean, your men wouldn't even get Kichi a chair. How did a foreigner get into the Sakura security anyway?"

The Captain shrugged. "I don't ask my men to risk their jobs. By promising their eyes and ears to me alone, they've already crossed a line, and I won't make them cross a bigger one. As for your other question," he paused, "My family has been serving as military leaders for generations. The Sakuras hired me when I was twenty-one, and I haven't left since."

"You talk about Tojii Sakura like a loyal dog," Honey said darkly, "You'll probably go panting at his heels as soon as we all leave."

Captain Carter met his eyes squarely. "Mitsukuni Haninozuka," he observed, "I was briefed about you after the weapon-barracks incident."

The boy smiled coldly, "Then you won't be surprised when I rearrange your face."

"Stop it, Honey," Kichi said, "Carter's not just being nice to put on a good front. He's doing this because he's a good man."

"Like Tojii is a good man?" Hikaru asked snidely.

"No, like you are a good man," Kichi shot back, "Beneath the snark." Yawning, she rubbed at one eye, and the Host Club couldn't help but think that she looked very much the child. Had it not been for the memories of what they just witnessed and the dark stains on her dress, they never would have guessed the fighting ability of the little girl before them.

"I think it's time you left," Captain Carter said, "I'll show you out." Pausing, he glanced at their attire and gave a small smile. "I must say, even though you never would have made it past the Sakura troops if they'd been on normal duty, your disguises are very realistic."


	5. Chapter 5

**Chapter 5**

* * *

><p><em>It takes approximately fifteen hours and thirty-seven minutes for the average human being to decide a course of action after witnessing something horrific. For the Host Club, it took roughly half the time and a quarter of the effort. Being Hosts, they know how to make rapid decisions.<em>

"_We must continue to be there for her," Tamaki had said as they exited the Sakura estates, "We must not treat her any differently now that we know—now that we know."_

"_Kichi-chan's probably worried we won't want to be her friends anymore." Honey's fury had abated enough so that he no longer made the other Hosts want to hide with a glance. Still, Mitsukuni was still there, hiding under the big blue eyes. They could feel him destroying imaginary buildings. _

_No, scratch that, they could feel him destroying imaginary worlds._

"_She probably prizes the normalcy of the Host Club," Kyoya noted, "If you can call it normalcy." His knuckles were still raw, but he'd calmed down enough to pull out his notebook and start jotting down notes. "Until we figure out how to stop this, we should try to keep her as close as possible. You three will make sure she doesn't pull away from us." He jerked his head and Hikaru, Kaoru, and Haruhi jumped._

"_Yes, sir!"_

"_Uh, Kyoya-sempai?" Haruhi turned to the taller boy. "What about her siblings? They looked horrified at what their father did to her. Maybe we could get information from them?"_

"_Yes, true. Very good, Haruhi.," Kyoya said. He smiled. "It's time for them to show where exactly they stand on this battlefield."_

* * *

><p>"We've been planning to help Kichi escape for some time now," Masumi said. The hosts, plus the older Sakura children, were seated in the Music Room around a formal looking table that Haruhi had never seen before. Kichi was absent, having been sent to pick up Tachi from elementary school.<p>

As Haruhi squirmed uncomfortably on the high hard-backed chairs, she couldn't help but notice how naturally each of the other occupants leaned into theirs. _It's easy to forget they're businessmen/businesswomen in training. Even Honey-sempai looks like he was born to sit here._

"There only seems to be one possibility," Kaisei said, "When I inherit the Sakura estates, I inherit Kichi as well. I'll free her then." His voice was hard with anger as he clenched his fists. "Father won't do it, not while treating her like an animal suits his purposes."

"Which are?"

_No emotion whatsoever. _

Haruhi shivered. Who knew Kyoya at business mode was even scarier than Kyoya as behind-the-scenes Shadow King?

"Intimidation, security, power," Masumi listed them off, seemingly unaffected by the dangerous aura around the second-year she was addressing, "Pride. He likes knowing he has a secret weapon."

"Protecting his children," Kyoya pointed out, "He obviously cares about her role as a bodyguard more than he does as an accessory. If he'd made her public, the Sakura wealth would have multiplied far faster than it is currently."

There was a silence.

"Father's not an evil man." Masumi finally said. She tucked her hair behind her ears, an action Kyoya realized was designed to hide the fact that her fingers were trembling. There was no trace of the otaku now, just Masumi Sakura facing the fact that the reason her sister was treated like a weapon was partly, if not wholly, her and her siblings' fault.

_She's very interesting_, he found himself thinking. Behind her avid fantasy life and obvious obsession with cute things, Masumi could be an extremely sensible girl—not to mention that she was, of course, very beautiful. Despite the serious nature of the meeting, Kyoya had found his eyes drawn to her full lips and the way the sun was currently playing off her red hair more than once.

_Stop it, Ootori. Control yourself._

"We can't wait until you inherit," Hikaru said, "That'll be years. Can't we, I don't know, buy her off or kidnap her or _something_?"

Something in his tone caught Kyoya's attention, and he hid a smile. _Interesting._

"He has a point," he said, pushing up his glasses, "While the Sakura assets are considerable, if we pool our resources, we should be able to safely remove Kichi."

"Except she won't go," Kaoru spoke up, leaning into his brother to keep him from protesting. "Kichi loves Mr. Sakura, you all saw that, and she loves you guys." He jerked his head at Kaisei and Masumi, "She won't leave."

"So we can't get her permanently away," Haruhi said, "But how about for a short period of time?" She fidgeted as all eyes turned to look at her, "Can't you take her on a vacation to Antarctica or something? Somewhere out of your father's reach—or at least far enough that he can't plant bullets to teach us a lesson."

"Summer vacation is coming up." If the smile on his face was any indication, Tamaki liked this idea, "We can have a huge road trip to the Americas! I've always wanted to see Disneyland." He gave Haruhi a double thumbs-up. "Well done, my beautiful daughter. Daddy is proud."

"Don't you have family there, Masumi?" Kyoya asked, directing the conversation back on track before Haruhi could make a comment about how she was not related to his best friend and send him moping into a corner, "Your father's sister's family, if I'm not mistaken."

"You're not," Masumi flashed him a smile, and he felt his breath catch briefly—and then she was looking to Kaisei, and he could breathe normally again. _Bad time to develop hormones, Ootori. _

The mischievous way the eldest Sakura girl had—_was _smiling, with slightly slanted eyes and quirked lips was wreaking havoc with his system. "Father will be ecstatic if we decide to go visit them, especially because of—"

Kaisei's face flushed. "Shut up, Masumi."

She smirked, and Kyoya found, once again, that his eyes seemed to really like staring at Masumi's lips. "Ignoring it won't make it go away," she said, "You're going to have to get along with him if we're going to visit with our cousins for the entire summer."

"I assume you are referring to Daichi Sakura, your aunt's son?" Kyoya cut in delicately.

Masumi shot him a sideways look, lowering her eyelashes demurely. "And how, exactly, would you know that? Really, Kyoya, I'm beginning to think you're stalking our family."

"Just an interested party, I assure you. No stalking involved." He had spent extra reading up on her, but she didn't need to know that he knew all about her "secret" activities on the stock market. Personally, he'd been quite impressed. Few people their age had the ambition and/or foresight to start making money out of their money early. From his research, Masumi had a good eye for fresh ideas and an uncanny ability of knowing when to pull out and when to keep supporting a certain company. _I wonder if she'd be up for a cup of coffee sometime and a good talk about her current ventures as "Masu Sumi." Purely platonic, of course._

The meeting was breaking up, and as Kaisei received a call and Tamaki began pestering Haruhi about a visit to her house, Kyoya found himself in a quiet bubble with Masumi.

"You're a contradiction." Her voice was thoughtful, a bit teasing, but mostly contemplative as she studied him, "What are you thinking, Kyoya Ootori?"

"What are you?" he returned lightly, "You're very interesting as well. Not what one would expect of—"

"—a frequenter of your club?" Masumi laughed, "I love your club because it's fun, Mr. Ootori, but you might want to check your ego there. I said you were a contradiction, not interesting." Her lips curled provocatively in a half-smile. "Though, you are that too."

"I'm flattered," Kyoya said dryly, "Care to grab a drink sometime and explore this topic further?"

Masumi paused, regarding him with slightly narrowed eyes. "Are you asking me—"

"Purely platonic, of course," Kyoya interrupted smoothly. He thought he caught a glimpse of disappointment in her eyes, but it was gone so fast that he couldn't be sure. Kaisei had reached the door and was calling for his sister impatiently to join him.

"I'd better go," the Sakura girl said. She smiled, "I'd love to join you for a drink—sometime." With that, she walked out, leaving Kyoya to ponder what exactly that little pause had meant.

**OHCHCOHCHC**

The ride home was quiet. The Sakura siblings had never been much for small talk, and with the meeting still fresh on their minds, they each had a lot to think about. Masumi watched her older brother and knew she should be running ideas through her mind as well, but her normally obedient brain seemed determined to defy her.

_I really thought he was going to ask me out._

Masumi prided herself on being a good judge of character, and all her instincts had told her that the Ootori heir was interested. And their banter at the end—she smiled. It had been too long since she found an attractive male with enough brains to hold up his end of the conversation.

Despite being a frequent visitor to the Host Club, she'd never really noticed Kyoya. Well, of course she'd _noticed _him, but the "Cool Type" had never really appealed to her. She was there to forget her problems and relax—to pretend that life was easy and she could afford to be the brainless otaku.

She was there to keep Kichi busy and away from home.

Masumi wasn't stupid, she knew many of the hosts thought her treatment of Kichi was unfair. She'd read it in their eyes the first time they saw them together.

_If only they knew._

Her father had shot Kichi because he thought his children treated her too much like a human being. He'd disapproved of them dressing her up and having her play roles—but at least he hadn't realized that the role-playing was just a guise to keep him from realizing how much they truly loved their little sister.

_If father put a bullet in Kichi because we treated her like a doll, what will he do if he realizes that we see her as one of us?_

No, she couldn't risk it. Masumi felt her shoulders clench with the stiffness that was becoming a normalcy. They would get Kichi out of there, even if it meant going to America.

Even if it meant making Kaisei and Daichi get along.

_And where does Kyoya Ootori play into this?_ A little voice asked, and Masumi smiled. Well, if her plans meant spending time with the Shadow King, then all the better. She was looking forward to their next encounter.


	6. Chapter 6

Suggestions, reviews, etc., are more than welcome, as well as great motivation for updating!

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><p><strong>Chapter 6<strong>

_Breaking into someone's world is difficult—especially if said break-inners are used to being the ones keeping others out. It is far too easy to spot the familiar tricks—the friendly brush-offs, the white-lie excuses—and far too difficult to push past them._

_Hikaru and Kaoru Hitachiin, however, are nothing if not persistent._

_They are, however, unprepared for the surprising amount of tolerance Kichi Sakura has to their charms—and perhaps unwilling to pay the price she demands in return for access into her life._

_If they want to be a part of her world, then they must be prepared to allow Kichi Sakura into theirs._

* * *

><p>"You almost lost your temper again," Kaoru observed. The Hitachiin twins were flipping idly through their mother's fashion magazines—many of which showcased items belonging to Mrs. Hitachiin's personal clothing line. It had become a bit of a tradition of theirs, an attempt to catch a glimpse of the woman they'd never really known.<p>

"Don't give me that crap," Hikaru flipped a page before throwing the newest copy of Vogue away in disgust, "And speaking of crap—"

Kaoru caught the magazine and put it back on the parlor table. "I know, I know, we could do so much better, how are people stupid enough to pay for that junk, blah, blah, blah. Don't change the subject."

Hikaru scowled. "You were upset too. The imbecile's plan was—"

"—stupid. Kichi can't wait that long." Kaoru finished. He smirked at his brother. "I may have been thinking the same thing, but at least I wasn't dumb enough to voice it." He gentled his voice, instinctively settling into the role of the voice of reason. "We need Kaisei on our side."

Hikaru shrugged, but the tension went out of his shoulders and Kaoru knew he'd made his point. Despite being the younger twin by two-and-a-half minutes, he was often the maturity to Hikaru's impulsive passion. Even more often, he was the one soothing the fires after the passion burnt out.

It didn't help that burrowing their way into Kichi's life was turning out to be far harder than they'd anticipated.

"Has she called yet?" he asked as Hikaru fell backwards onto the couch they were sharing. They'd been able to curl up together on the piece of furniture once, but now, even with Kaoru still upright, Hikaru's feet stuck out awkwardly off the edge.

"No." Hikaru shot a glare at the ceiling, "That girl has to be the most pig-headed, rude, stupid, _dense_—"

"'No' was good." Kaoru said, "Relax. It's only been a day."

"When two good-looking guys and Haruhi ask a pretty girl if she wants to study together for a test, she doesn't wait for a day before calling. She calls in the next hour. Three hours tops."

"So, you think Kichi's pretty?"

Hikaru glanced up at his brother. "Don't you?"

Kaoru nodded. They'd always been attuned to each other, going so far as to develop the same taste in clothing, friends—and girls. It didn't mean anything more than that they both found certain attributes attractive in a girl.

It was the first time, however, that they'd both been attracted to a girl they barely even knew.

"Maybe she called Haruhi," he mused, "Check your texts."

"That's stupid," Hikaru complained as he flipped open his phone, "Out of the three of us she chooses to call the boy who looks like—" he paused, and snapped his phone shut, "Unbelievable. They're at the library."

"Great. Let's go meet them," Kaoru said, but Hikaru shook his head.

"I already texted back. We're sending a car and they're coming over." He smiled, "It's not like anybody's home, anyway. As always, we have the whole place to ourselves."

_And we hate it._

**OHCHCOHCHC**

To be perfectly fair, Kichi Sakura hadn't been deliberately trying to leave the Hitachiin twins out of their study group. Had she, however, made certain that Haruhi had invited them? No. Had she pined away hoping they'd show up anyway? Not really.

Was she behaving irrationally? According to Masumi, yes.

Maybe she really was being a coward, but hanging out with Haruhi seemed so much—safer. Of all the hosts, he seemed the most level-headed. More importantly, he wouldn't push her, the way the twins most certainly would.

The way they most certainly were going to.

Ever since they'd arrived on the Hitachiin estates, she'd been struck by how empty the place seemed. There were servants, gardeners, chauffeurs, but while the Sakura mansion always had some hint of it's owners lying around, the Hitachiin's place was pristine.

"Not exactly what you expected?" Haruhi asked, smiling sympathetically at her. Kichi smiled back, noting once again how feminine he was.

"It can't be what you're used to either," she said, changing the subject away from herself, "What do you think?"

"I think they're all rich bastards," Haruhi said, and then winced, "Sorry, I forgot you're—"

"Technically one of them?" Kichi shrugged, "S'okay. It's still kind of a shocker to me too, how much they have."

"How much they can have."

"How much they take for granted."

They smiled at each other in perfect understanding as the door to the car slid open and two men dressed in immaculate suits offered their arms to them. Kichi watched as Haruhi allowed himself to be escorted out and frowned. _Ok, weird._

She scrambled out, slipping a little on the plush seats, and stumbled out of the car. A hand grabbed her arm and she looked up into the face of Hikaru Hitachiin, who was, predictably, scowling at her.

"Are you always so clumsy?" he asked, pulling her upright.

The two men seemed to have disappeared, along with Haruhi. She tried to walk forward, but Hikaru still had possession of her arm. "For someone who's supposed to be a secret bio-weapon," he noted, "You're not that strong."

Kichi turned and scowled at him. "Want me to pin you?" she asked, "Well see who's not strong then."

"Two seconds at our house and you're already ready to jump him? What is it with girl and jerks?" Kaoru was suddenly on her other side, grinning mischievously, "Come on, we're waiting inside. Unless, you're more comfortable here?"

Hikaru dropped Kichi's arm as if burned and she blushed, crossing her arms defiantly. Watching as her lower lip stuck out in a pout, Kaoru remembered once again that she was, in reality, only thirteen to their fifteen. He led the group into the house and up the steps, where Haruhi was waiting.

The girl—who was currently dressed in baggy boy clothes, due to the fact that Kichi was still under the impression that she was a he—sighed at the look on the matching scowls on Kichi and Hikaru's faces. "Really guys? How long has it been, three minutes?"

"Five," Kaoru said, and led the way to a pair of double doors, "Come on."

As they entered the room, he couldn't help but study their reactions. Hikaru, of course, was smug. This had been his idea, after all. Haruhi, though surprised, looked resigned. He suspected that she'd guessed their true intentions when they invited them over. Kichi's mouth was still open.

"I thought we were here to study," she said accusingly, "What's with all the clothes?"

"We are here to study," Kaoru said, "We're going to find out who you really are. Call it a bonding experience."

"I know who I am. And who says I want to bond with you?"

Hikaru snorted. "Look at yourself. Before you went studying, you were babysitting Yumi. The black hair, the nanny dress, it's just another role. We're going to find out who exactly you are, underneath all that. Get into the shower."

"You haven't given me a reason _why _I should do this yet," Kichi pointed out, "Why should I go along with this?"

"Don't you want to find out who you really are?" Kaoru asked, "We're literally the best at enhancing without disguising what people look like. People pay millions for our services." He hesitated, "And it would give us something to do. We don't get many people over."

Something in his voice made the refusal stick in Kichi's throat. She paused, and nodded reluctantly. "Ok, on one condition."

"What?"

She blushed. "Haruhi? Can you take off your shirt?"


	7. Chapter 7

Here's the closest picture I could find to what I imagine Kichi looking like. (URL: .; she's the second girl down). If you guys find any better-fitting pictures, (or feel like creating one), _please _review and leave the url. I'll pick the most suitable one and post the results.

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter 7<strong>

_Everybody is good at something. There is always one special talent that a person excels at, and, given the opportunity, it is something they can truly be great in. Unfortunately, few people ever discover this talent, and fewer have the resources to truly take advantage of it._

_Hikaru and Kaoru Hitachiin are one of those few who have._

_Their talent for enhancing natural beauty was discovered at age three, when they managed to transform their previously unremarkable nanny into the woman their father would have an affair with for two years. If they'd known the results of their work, they undoubtedly would have sat on their chubby toddler hands rather than make the woman who'd rip their family apart beautiful._

_However, their talent for finding beauty—despite its negative consequences—could not be ignored. After the divorce, their mother smiled at her sons and began teaching them all she knew. Perhaps the smiles were a bit forced and the lessons were a bit cold, but she taught them well._

_It was one of the few pieces of herself that she ever gave to her sons._

* * *

><p>"Are you ready, yet?" Hikaru demanded, pacing the floor, "You girls take for<em>ever<em>."

He was beginning to regret revealing Haruhi's secret so easily. After Kichi had explained why she'd made her request as well as her suspicions, they'd voluntarily revealed the true gender of the Host Club's "natural type." It had been Kaoru's idea to have them take a shower together.

"Haruhi will keep her from taking forever," was his logic, "She's _Haruhi_. She's too boyish to take a shower forever."

_So much for that, _Hikaru thought grumpily. Apparently, in the presence of Kichi Sakura, Haruhi's feminine side came out. Behind the bathroom door, he heard a squeal, some laughter, and a small thump. Resisting the urge to pound on the door again, he sighed in frustration. "This wouldn't be so hard if they didn't make so much noise."

Kaoru muffled a laugh. "Or if you didn't keep distracting them from whatever they're doing." The younger Hitachiin twin was setting up one of the many vanities that filled the room, fingers flying as he worked. "Relax. They're probably washing each other's backs and stuff."

"Yeah, stuff." Hikaru said wryly. He flopped down on the couch directly parallel to the bathroom door and groaned, putting his arms over his head. "Thanks for the mental images, Kaoru."

"It's your brain, Hikaru. Don't blame me for your perverted thoughts."

"Who said my thoughts were perverted?" Hikaru smirked, "I was just imagining them destroying our lovely shower just to spite us." Kaoru blushed as he laughed, "Who's the perverted one now?"

"Who's perverted?"

The boys looked up to find Kichi poking her head out, wet hair falling past her shoulders. "Finally," Hikaru said, leaping up from the couch and crossing the room in three quick strides. He grabbed her arm, and pulled impatientl. "Come here."

"No, wait!" Kichi said, but it was too late. Hikaru flushed and let go, and Kichi ducked back behind the door with an equally red face. There was an awkward silence.

"Uh, I'll get you a smaller robe," Hikaru said, and all but ran from the room. Kaoru chuckled, ignoring the flush that was threatening to creep up his neck at the brief glimpse he'd caught from his position.

Haruhi, dressed back in the clothes she'd arrived in, walked out with a grin. "You guys are really something, you know that? Kichi's face is the color of a tomato."

A muffled, "It is _not_," came from behind the shower door, followed by Kichi's head. She was still blushing as Kaoru studied her face. "'S'not my fault the robe was too big."

"You're hair," he said, surprised. Kichi's hair wasn't the unnatural golden Masumi had dyed it, but an unusual mix of auburn, brown, and blonde. As she turned to look at him he caught flashes of gold. "Is that all natural?"

Kichi's nodded, "I used to sell my hair for food-money," she said, fingering a lock self-consciously, "The wig-makers liked the color."

"Colors would be more exact," Hikaru said, rushing back in. He thrust the smaller robe at Kichi, who disappeared and reappeared in moments. Kaoru studied her, noting the natural waves in her hair. They wouldn't have to do much with it except maintain its natural curl.

"Yo, are your eyes naturally black?" Hikaru asked, peering up at her face.

Kichi shook her head, "They're contacts. My eyes used to be brown, but they changed when the experiment took effect. I have to wear contacts because Captain Carter says they're too noticeable." She sat down obediently as Hikaru pushed her into the vanity and ordered her to take off her contacts.

Kaoru walked up behind her, and when she looked up to meet her own gaze in the mirror, he caught his breath. It was true, Kichi Sakura's eyes were extremely noticeable. They were still mostly a liquid caramel, but flecks of gold danced in the pupils if the light caught it right.

The sound of whirring snapped him out of his reverie as Haruhi handed him the blow-dryer. "Go ahead," she said, smiling, "Kichi's been kicking my butt at Physics all morning, and I'm tired of being the only one you guys subject to getting dressed up."

"You know you love it," Kaoru teased back, but Haruhi just rolled her eyes and handed Hikaru the comb.

"The day I love being treated like a doll is the day hell freezes over."

Some things never changed.

**OHCHCOHCHC**

Kichi had been dressed up more times than she could count. It was a daily routine for her—get up, get dressed by a sibling's maids, go perform her duties. She'd gotten used to the smell of hair product, the feel of contacts in her eyes, and even the various outfits she'd been given.

Now, looking at herself in the mirror, she realized that she barely remembered what she looked like.

Her hair was longer than she remembered, falling in waves almost to the middle of her back. When let free naturally, they framed her face differently and made her look older, more like a first-year, though the big, baby-doe eyes sort of ruined it.

"Stop squinting," Hikaru ordered as he brushed a strand of hair across her forehead, "It makes you look constipated."

_Well, then._

"Are you always this tactless?" she asked, resisting the urge to squirm as Kaoru started applying lip gloss. The pressure wasn't exactly foreign, but tickled all the same.

"I prefer honest." Hikaru studied her face in the mirror and smiled—not his customary smirk but a real smile of satisfaction and pleasure. When Kaoru finished and stepped back, she found he had the same expression on his face. It made them look younger, sweeter. Handsome.

She'd never truly understood the attraction of the "loving-brothers act." Sure, the sly looks and devilish grins made her heart pound for awhile, but then one of them said something that made her lose her temper and the attraction vanished. Watching them tease each other as they worked, however, was a whole different story.

The hard edge to their smiles disappeared and they relaxed, pushing her into the bathroom to change into certain outfits and pulling her out to critique each others' choices. Haruhi mediated, calming them down when they got too aggressive and reminding them that she wasn't a mannequin.

It wasn't normal, by any means, but it was—nice. Fun, even.

She liked throwing her two cents in, refusing to put on anything too skimpy or too flowery. She learned that she liked skirts and shorts and that she hated plad and stripes. Time flew by as they laughed over ridiculous hats and tried to get Haruhi to dress up to.

The twins both ended up wearing different outfits than they'd started out with, and Kichi's arms were getting sore, when when the twins finally proclaimed her in her best natural outfit.

She looked at herself in the full-length mirror and found herself in a white and red summer dress and a soft cap that fit comfortably over her wavy hair.

The clothes were _her _in a way that she'd never experienced. She felt cute, even pretty, and despite the red that was staining her cheeks she knew she was smiling. It was far more feminine than anything she wore for Kaisei, too impractical for anything she wore for Tachi or Yumi, and too simple to belong to Masumi's arsenal of choice.

She liked it.

The spell was broken when she glanced at the clock and froze, eyes widening in horror. "I was supposed to pick up Tachi ten minutes ago!" she said, racing back into the bathroom, "Where are my clothes?"

Hikaru exchanged a guilty look with Kaoru. "We, uh, might have thrown away the nanny outfit."

"What?" Kichi raced out of the bathroom, face pale, "I have to go. Can I borrow—"

"Yeah, and we'll take you," Kaoru caught on to the urgency of her tone, remembering another dress that had been stained red on Kichi's pale skin as she struggled to recover from the bullet that had just passed through her, "Let's go."

**OHSHCOHSHC**

Tachi hated it when Kichi was late picking him up for school. It meant he had to spend extra time listening to Rima talk about how they were going to get married someday. Ew, as if he'd actually want to marry a girly-girl like her. She wanted to hold hands and play together all the time.

Kichi was cooler. She listened when he talked about becoming a pilot even though Kaisei told him he'd have to help in the family business when he got older. She was really pretty too. Tachi didn't let anyone know, but he when he seven and a baby, he used to sleep with her during thunderstorms.

She'd patted his back and he'd looked at her pretty eyes and hair and promised he was going to marry her someday and take her away from his stupid dad. He was going to save her.

Tachi knew that Kichi got in trouble when she was late for things, which was why he hadn't called home yet even though she was fifteen minutes late. He'd rather stay outside the school _forever_ than let his dad punish Kichi again. At least Rima was gone, but the air was getting colder and he was shivering when the unfamiliar black limo pulled up and Kichi shot out of the back seen.

He felt his cheeks growing hot as she hugged him, apologizing profusely for being late. She looked like she had when he'd watched her sleep as a kid, all natural without the outfits that his siblings put on her. The dress was new, though.

"I'm sorry I'm late," she said again, "I was, uh, at a friend's house and we lost track of time."

Tachi's ears perked up. _A friend?_

Kichi didn't usually go to friends' houses. "Who is it?" he asked.

"Oi, are you two going to stand there all day or get back in?" a familiar voice demanded, "It's going to rain and I'm not letting all our hard work get destroyed after five minutes." Tachi glanced at the strange car, and caught a glimpse of red hair and amber eyes.

"Come on," Kichi said, taking his hand. He let her push him into the car, and found himself looking at one of the twins who'd crashed his birthday party. Kichi stumbled in a couple seconds later and the car started moving.

"Hikaru, Kaoru," she said, "This is Tachi, the bravest, best little brother in the world. Tachi, these are the Hitachiin twins. You know, the ones Masumi's always talking about."

"Oh, you two are the homosexual twins struggling between your friendship and your incestuous love," he said, eyes narrowing. _Kichi didn't say her friend were _boys_._

"Charming kid, aren't you?" one twin snarked back.

"Sweet as sugar," the other one agreed.

"And this is Haruhi Fujioka," Kichi said, gesturing towards the third strange face. Tachi studied the boy-girl who'd crashed his party, noting the warm way he smiled at his Kichi.

"You look like a girl," he said bluntly. Strangely, the boy-girl didn't seem to mind. He just turned the smile on him and gave a small bow.

"Nice to meet you, Tachi. Sorry about crashing your party—it was all Tamaki's idea."

The politeness caught him off-guard and he squirmed. "It's ok. It wasn't a real party anyway. We all knew there might be an attack that day—there were threats. We just didn't know when or where, so dad told me to entertain the guests and celebrate my birthday."

"It didn't occur to him that they might target the room where all the potential heirs and heiresses were?"

Tachi shrugged. "Kichi was there." He turned to her, "What were you doing at their house anyway? I thought you went to study for finals."

Kichi blushed. "I did, but then Hikaru sent a car for me and Haruhi saying he wanted us to study at their place. We got a little carried away." She smoothed her dress, "I feel ridiculous now."

"It's pretty," Tachi said, "You should dress like that more." _She looks like a person, not a doll. Maybe dad will see that._

He didn't realize he'd spoken aloud until Kichi's face paled. "I can't let him see me like this," she said, "Hikaru, could you tell the driver to drop us off at the back? I think the servants will let me in without spreading rumors." The car rounded the bend and they arrived. Hikaru passed on Kichi's directions and the car glided smoothly to a side door, where a maid was emptying a dirty barrel of water onto the grass.

Kichi leaped off the car, pulling Tachi with her, and sprinted for the door, only to freeze as it opened to reveal none other than Mr. Sakura himself, accompanied by Captain Carter and about two squads of men. "Kaiya Sakura," the man said icily, "Where have you been?"

Tachi felt his fists clench at the fear on Kichi's face. No one should be able to make her look like that.

"It was my fault," he said, "I wanted to play hide-and-seek and Kichi couldn't find me." _Hide-and-seek's for babies, but you wouldn't know that._

"And the new clothes?" Mr. Sakura asked, his face stony, "The presence of the Hitachiin car?" He waved his hands at Captain Carter, "Get rid of them."

The man nodded, the lines around his eyes deepening just a little as Kichi followed Mr. Sakura into the house. He knew what was in stock for the girl, and the part he'd be forced to play in it. For now, however, he could do his best to hold off the punishment.

"Make it slow," he said for the ears of his deputy's ears only, "We'll give her as much time to prepare as possible."

The man nodded and barked out orders, and the squad headed towards the car. Captain Carter spared on last look at the side door to the biggest mansion on the block and closed his eyes, trying to block out the knowledge of the training Kichi would be forced through—that he would force her through.

_Struggle lads, _he thought as he heard the Hitachiin boys yell, _struggle for as long and hard as you can. Every minute may save your friend a lifetime of pain._


	8. Chapter 8

I will be introducing Daichi very soon, and though I have a pretty good idea what I want him to look like/be like, suggestions are more than welcome. Also, I would really like a visual of Masumi and/or Kaisei, so if anyone stumbles across a picture that matches, (the attitude is more important than the exact hair color/eye color), please review and leave the url.

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter 8<strong>

_The strange thing about lifestyle is that no matter how cruel or painful it seems to the outsider, to the one experiencing it, it is normal. Kichi Sakura may fear and dread her training, but she has stopped seeing it as an aberration in her life._

_It is her brand of normal._

_Sometimes, that can be the worst thing of all, because when she sees the broken arms and bruises as normal, she stops thinking she has the right to live any better._

_Mitsukuni Haninozuka used to think denying himself sweets was his lifestyle—used to believe that denying himself was normal. It took Tamaki Suoh and his crazy persistence to show him otherwise. Perhaps this is why they're taking Kichi all the way to America._

_Not just to help her escape Mr. Sakura, but to escape the chains of what she believes is her normal. To help her see that there's a life for her beyond what she has become accustomed to. To help the caged bird realize there's a sky._

_Or at least, to help it realize that the cage isn't the world._

* * *

><p>Kichi showed up at school Monday in time to take her finals. She looked much the same, talked with the same big smile, and scored perfectly on each exam. Haruhi, who was sitting next to her, noticed that she was Masumi's that day, and that the blonde curls, as well as the frilly dress was back.<p>

What she couldn't figure out, however, was why Kichi wouldn't look at her. Despite the fact that Kichi shared each of her classes, the other girl hadn't said much more than a "hello" and was studiously ignoring the worried looks Haruhi was sending her.

The Hitachiin twins were less polite about being ignored. In between classes they jostled her persistently, dropping heated whispers into her ears and following whenever she ran off to give things to Masumi. By the time the last final was over lunch was in session, they were all but going up in smoke.

As if sensing the explosion that was approaching, the students filed quickly out of the room, leaving Kichi alone to organize and put away her supplies. As she left the room and headed for the cafeteria, however, an arm reached out and grabbed her, pulling her the opposite direction.

"You're eating with the host club," Hikaru said bluntly as Kichi squirmed. Kaoru grabbed her other arm and the two towed her to the Music Room, Haruhi close behind.

"I didn't bring lunch," Kichi protested, "I need to buy something."

"Oh, so now you're talking?" Kaoru snapped, "Too bad. We'll order up." The usually calm twin was furious as he dragged Kichi around a corner, letting Hikaru be responsible for keeping her on her feet. "Why didn't you return any of our calls? We were about to call in Kyoya's special forces and raid the place."

Kichi twisted in his grasp to look at his face. "Because I was _training, _Kaoru. Anyway, it really wasn't that bad. Captain Carter just put me through a couple hours of combat practice and then an hour of pain resistance."

They hadn't been experimenting this time—for which she was profoundly grateful—just flat-out training. The last exercise had been the hardest as she practiced taking down an assassin while shielding her target at the same time. The goal had been to be able to eliminate a threat with a bullet in her body, and though it was painful, it was a lot easier than the times Mr. Sakura wanted to test just how much pain she could take.

_Mr. Sakura…_

Despite what she had told the hosts about the head of the Sakura household, she could never call him "father," or "dad," not even in the safety of her own mind. He was always, _had _always been, "Mr. Sakura," from the first time she'd seen him, half-frozen and shivering on a hotel doorstep—his hotel, as it turned out.

He'd plucked her off the streets and given her food and a warm bed, and in her cold-numbed mind she'd looked up at his pressed suit and pristine appearance and heard someone address him as "Mr. Sakura." He'd been that to her ever since—even though his attitude towards her had changed once the test results came in.

He'd been kind to her once, even fatherly. She'd felt protected in a way she'd never felt before, and while some part of her still longed for that Mr. Sakura, she was still living far better than she ever had. Trying to explain this, however, to the twins currently dragging her through the double doors of Music Room 3, was impossible.

She dug in her feet stubbornly as the doors slammed behind her and she realized that the room was occupied. She was _not _going to be dragged in front of other people. "Let me go!"

Suddenly, the grasps on her arms loosened and she found herself staring into Tamaki's eyes. "Did they hurt you, princess?" he asked, and beneath the overdone dramatics there was an undertone of real concern. She shook her head, and he backed away to scold the twins, who'd been thrown back into the wall.

"How could you treat our Kichi this way," he said, wagging his finger, "Gentlemen _never_ handle ladies roughly. As your King, I am ashamed."

"Be ashamed, Tono," Hikaru snapped, "Be ashamed of your princess for letting us worry half-to-death." He ran his fingers through his hair in frustration, "Geez, was it so hard to make one phone call?"

"Yes, why didn't you return our calls?" Kyoya asked, glasses glinting, "Had I not received been reassured that you were recuperating, things might have gotten out of hand."

Apparently, this was news to the other hosts, because the Shadow King found himself accosted with several accusing glares. "Kyoya," Mori said, "You received word." It wasn't a question.

Kyoya shrugged. "Masumi was kind enough to let me know this morning that Kichi had recovered and was well. Our plans may continue on schedule." He flipped open his phone, "I would have let you all know, but none of you had your phones on, as everyone was taking their exams."

_Perfect logic, and yet I still want to smash his face in._

From beside Mori, Honey's smile tightened, and the temperature of the room dropped several degrees. "Kyo-chan," the third-year blonde said, "Next time, find a way."Then, as he turned to Kichi, his attitude changed completely, Mitsukuni disappearing behind Honey.

Ignoring the way the others in the room sweat-dropped, he trotted over to her. "Are you ok, Kichi-chan? What happened? All we know is that you were playing with Hika-chan, Kao-chan and Haru-chan, and you looked really cute!" He dimpled, showing her a photo of her in his phone.

"Of course we took pictures," Hikaru said as Kichi turned to glare at him, "We always take pictures of our best work."

"My daughter looks adorable," Tamaki said, flipping open his own phone, "Much better than this," He reached over to tug at her blonde wig. Kichi snatched her head way, carefully tucking the strands of brown that had escaped back under the golden curls.

"Careful." She checked the wig in a nearby mirror and turned back to Honey, "I lost track of time and was late picking up Tachi. We hurried to get him and I forgot to change. Mr. Sakura doesn't like his children dressing me up, but he likes it better than letting me run around looking like me. It's strictly against policy. I got in trouble, had to do some extra training. That's all."

_That's all_.

Honey's face darkened. "Kichi-chan, you shouldn't say that. It's not 'that's all.' You shouldn't be punished for looking like yourself."

She shrugged uncomfortably, finding that meeting his eyes had grown difficult. "Can we talk about something else? I mean, there has to be a reason you guys dragged me here, right?" As Hikaru opened his mouth she cut in, "_Besides_ interrogating me about why I didn't call."

"It's not interrogation if you don't answer," Kaoru said, folding his arms, "Then it's just friendly questioning." He smiled, showing teeth. "Until we bring out the tools, of course." He flipped open his phone, gesturing for her to look.

Kichi walked over warily, only to find picture after picture of her in a variety of different outfits, including several ridiculous dresses that made her want to crawl in a hole. Her eyes flicked to his and read the message burning inside. "You wouldn't."

His thumb moved, and in a flash Kichi had the phone and was pressing delete.

"We have copies, you know," Hikaru said lazily, "Lots and lots of copies. Might as well give in and just answer our questions."

Kichi threw the phone at him and he caught it easily. "You throw like a girl."

"I am a girl," Kichi blew out a breath in frustration, crossing her arms defiantly over her chest. "Fine. I didn't call you because I didn't think I had to. It wasn't as bad as it could have been, just a couple hours of training. Normal stuff."

"You're thirteen," Honey pointed out, "I didn't go through training like that until I was sixteen, and I'm a Haninozuka."

Kichi shrugged, "It's normal for me."

"Which is why you're leaving," Kyoya said briskly, "When is your last class?"

"Wait, what?" Kichi's arms uncrossed and she tensed, "Are you kidnapping me? That won't work, you know."

"She just had her last class," Hikaru supplied, "We have the same classes. That was the last final."

Kichi's eyes widened as Mori took hold of one of her arms with a small smile. "Come." A corner of her mind realized that he was reaching into his pocket for something that smelled suspicious, and another was warily watching Honey, who'd sidled up next to her.

"Don't worry," Honey said, beaming innocent, "We're not kidnapping you, Kichi-chan," he smiled, latching onto her other wrist, "We're taking you on vacation."

Mori's hand came out of his pocket holding a cloth and Kichi twisted, but Honey's grip on her arms were like iron. She felt the cloth go over her nose and gave a wild kick before everything went black.

**OHSHCOHSHC**

_Five hours, a couple of fights, some screams, and a lot of general frustration later._

"Are you still pouting?" Hikaru demanded, "Quit sulking, Kichi. What are you, five?" They were sitting in one of the rooms of an Ootori family plane, and despite the couches and pillows scattered over the floor, Kichi had refused to stop pacing.

Masumi looked at her worriedly. "Darling, we would have told you, but it was very last minute. The flight plans fell through and Kyoya and I had to book a special plane. Good pilots are hard to come by nowadays, and top quality aircrafts are even rarer."

Still no response.

_Time to bring out the big guns._

"Kichi-chan, you're not mad, are you?"

"Guys, just leave her alone. How would you feel if you were suddenly told that you were going to America and wouldn't be back for months?" Haruhi sighed as Hikaru, Masumi, and Honey turned to look at her with identical bewildered expressions.

_Rich bastards._

Honey started sniffling, big eyes filling with tears and looking every bit the innocent, heartbroken child. "Please don't be mad, Kichi-chan. We just wanted to surprise you." He threw himself onto her lap, wrapping his arms around her waist. "We're sorry."

Kichi finally turned from staring out the window. After Honey's impromptu announcement, it had taken the chloroform rag Mori had prepared to subdue the struggling girl. The dosage, however, had been stronger than they'd planned on and she'd remained unconscious for hours, not waking up until the plane had taken off.

Safe to say, when Kichi had finally awakened with a headache and the realization that she was in the air, she wasn't happy.

It seemed, however, that even an angry Kichi was no match for a crying Honey. She softened, albeit reluctantly, and started stroking the boy's hair, taking a seat on the couch. "What exactly is my surprise?"

"A trip to America," Masumi explained, "Kyoya and I worked all the details out over coffee. We're going to California to meet with a secondary branch of the Sakura Hotel chain. Father was thrilled that Kaisei wanted to take on the job himself and help 'repair the family damage.' You're here to protect us if anything goes wrong."

Haruhi looked confused. "What family damage?" she asked as Kichi maneuvered a now smiling Honey into a more comfortable position.

"That's a question I think we'd all like answered," Kyoya's voice came from the door, "I'm assuming that it's safe to come back in?" They'd delegated the responsibility of calming Kichi down to Honey, who had the sufficient martial arts training, Haruhi, who had a knack for such things, and Hikaru and Masumi, who were too stubborn to leave.

Kichi rolled her eyes. "Come in and hear our sordid secrets," she said, "Where's Kaisei?"

"He's in the cockpit, making sure the pilots aren't slacking off," Kyoya said, taking the seat next to Masumi, "Good pilots are—"

"—hard to come by." Kichi finished, raising an eyebrow, "Masumi told me." She smiled, "How was _coffee_, Kyoya-sempai?"

"Delicious, informative, and completely irrevelent to this conversation. I've always wondered why the Sakura family split after such history of successful partnership." Kyoya pushed back his glasses, "Pray, do tell."

"I'll tell the story," Masumi said, "Kichi only knows the latter half." She gave a warning look around the plane as Tamaki settled down next to Haruhi, Mori next to Honey, who was still perched in Kichi's lap, and the twins, who were squeezing between Kichi and the wall. "However, if I hear this story getting repeated outside these walls—" she smiled demurely, and a shiver passed through the group.

_Attack of the otaku. No survivors._

"Kaisei's mom, Dad's first wife, died in a car crash when he was two," Masumi began, "Dad never got over it, but he wanted Kaisei to have a mother, so he remarried. Mom was very delicate, and the combination of birthing both Tachi and me as well as living with man who didn't love her was too much. She died when Tachi was a couple weeks old. Dad stuck to nannies after that, until he met Yumi's mother. She was a singer at one of his parties and he fell in love.

They got married and had Yumi. Dad laughed more than he ever had and Yumi's mom seemed like the model wife—and then, out of no where, she divorced him and married his younger brother, Genki Sakura. It turned out that they'd been having an affair for months. Dad went crazy, kicked Gina out and fired Genki, gives him enough money to start over but otherwise completely cuts him off.

A year later, we hear that Genki's getting rich in America through his hotel chain, "Sakura L.A." Dad's furious and sues him for using our name and imitating our style. He won the case, and whatever relationship he had with his brother died the moment the court ordered Uncle Genki to pay Dad sixty percent of all his profits."

Masumi finished with a sigh, folding her hands in her lap, "There's the whole sordid tale. Kichi arrived somewhere between Mom and Gina, so never really got to know Uncle Genki or our cousins, but Kaisei and I were old enough to witness everything. Last time Kaisei and Daichi—Uncle Genki's only son—met, they both ended up in the hospital."

"So we're headed off to sunny beaches and a family that hates the name 'Sakura?'" Hikaru demanded.

Masumi shrugged. "Uncle Genki never held what he perceived as Dad's betrayal against us. He's sent us Christmas cards every year, and the visit that landed Kaisei and Daichi in the hospital was his idea. I've never had much of a problem with Daichi either."

Kichi frowned, "What about Ms. Gina?"

"As far as I know, they're still happily married," Masumi rolled her eyes, "The woman was trouble the moment Dad met her." She turned to Kichi, "You don't have to call her 'Ms.' anything anymore, darling. You're a Sakura now."

"Speaking of which," the younger girl said, "Who's going to watch Tachi and Yumi while I'm gone?"

"We have nannies," Masumi said, "And they're both vacationing with Dad in the Bahamas. They'll be fine." She reached across Honey and grasped one of Kichi's hands. "So, are we forgiven, sweetie?"

Kichi nodded, and Masumi grinned. "Excellent. Now, let's get you out of those clothes and into one of the adorable outfits the Hitachiin's picked out. To be honest, I was put out that I didn't get to see you in that adorable white sundress. And take off that ridiculous blonde wig. The hosts have updated me on their plan to help you discover yourself, and I think it is a _divine_ idea."

She pulled Kichi upright, sending Honey tumbling off, and grabbed the nearest twin with the other. "Now, we have a lot of work to do, so let's get started. Oh, this is such _fun_." In a trail of smoke, the three had grabbed Kichi and torn out of the room, leaving the others disconcerted by her rapid shift from Masumi to Otaku, and a very amused Kyoya.


	9. Chapter 9

I will be posting another fic called, "Something Called Luck Excerpts." This piece will basically include all the little scenes that didn't make their way into the main story. Hope you all enjoy!**  
><strong>

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter 9<strong>

_There are moments in time that change lives—moments that end up defining a person, who they become, and who they want to be. These moments are essential, naturally, and receive a lot of publicity. The memory seems to have a perfect account of every second, and whether the third button of your soulmate's shirt was really fraying or not doesn't really matter when you recall the scene._

_There are moments in time that change lives—and there are moments in time that aren't as dramatic._

_That are fun._

_Hilarious._

_Forgettable._

_These moments may not change lives, but they are what makes up life._

* * *

><p>"Constipation!"<p>

A scowl and a shook fist.

"Constipated burglar!"

Laughter as Hikaru's face turned the color of puce and he flapped his arms vigorously.

"Constipated parrot!"

"What's with you and constipation?" Hikaru demanded, forfeiting the round as he turned on his hysterical twin, "It was a ballerina, dumbass."

He growled as Kaoru fell onto the floor. "We'll see who's laughing when I rearrange your face," the older twin threatened, diving after Kaoru with a pillow.

"You'd think twins would be better at this game," Kichi said archly, as the two rolled around, "Haruhi and I will totally kick your butts."

"Oh, yeah?" Hikaru said, looking up from the ground, "We'll see!" He smacked his brother over the head. "Kaoru, we can't lose!" His twin sobered up, wiping his eyes as he shook off the last traces of merriment.

"Don't worry, Hikaru. Ten answers in two minutes isn't exactly a failure. We beat Honey and Mori, didn't we?"

They glanced at the cousins. Honey was sleeping, leaning into Mori's side as the taller boy maneuvered himself into a more comfortable position. "We beat Honey and Mori because Honey spent the entire two minutes trying to show 'carnival' by eating cotton candy."

"We're really only competing for second place anyway," Haruhi pointed out, "I think Kyoya-sempai and Masumi-sempai set some kind of record."

"I think they cheated," Hikaru grumbled, "Or bribed the prompt-maker. I've heard he's a corrupt idiot."

"Couldn't have, doppelganger," Tamaki said cheerfully, "I wrote all the prompts myself." His face twisted in confusion, and then darkened, "You devilish twin! What do you mean, corrupt idiot?"

"Don't give up, Haruhi!" Kichi said as the blonde began chasing Hikaru around the room, "We're the smartest first-years at Ouran, and I play charades with Yumi almost every day. We'll _domnate_." She wiggled excitedly, energy leaking through her pores as if she could barely hold it in.

"Yeah, good luck beating thirty-seven," Hikaru grumbled, "We don't even have that many prompts left—" a light went off in his eyes and he smirked, whispering something to Kaoru. Turning back to the rest of the group, he spread his arms, "Let's take a break so Tamaki can replenish the prompts basket."

With a grin, he and Kaoru latched onto the blonde's arms and in a flash, they were gone.

Kichi wondered if she should go after them and put a stop to whatever mischief the twins were undoubtedly up to, but decided against it. She'd beat them despite their meddling and claim bragging rights for the rest of the trip.

_We'll see who breaks the record after we tear your butts right off._

Suddenly, a thought struck her and she turned to Haruhi. "You have played this before, right?"

The other girl nodded. "Dad loves this game. I used to play with him every day when I was in middle-school." She jerked her head at Kyoya and Masumi, who were shooting them smug looks. "Who would have thought they would work so well together?"

Kichi laughed. "Masumi would call it a 'connection.'" She winked, "Don't worry, though, Haru-chan, we have a connection too!"

Haruhi smiled back. Kichi had been initially hesitant after her natural hair and eye color had been revealed and Masumi had ordered her to "be herself," but Masumi's insistence coupled with the twins' talent of making her lose her temper had drawn her out of her discomfort.

Now, with the excited grin on her face and the barely suppressed anticipation making her fidget, Haruhi found the younger girl an endearing picture—a child advertisement in a rosy blouse and white shorts. "You really like this game, don't you?"

Kichi shrugged, lowering her voice as she stepped closer to the sitting Haruhi, "It's more that I never really got to compete before. I'm supposed to lose to Yumi so she doesn't feel bad, and I think Tachi always lets me win."

Her eyes shadowed. "I wonder how they're doing without me?"

Haruhi nodded sympathetically, "I used to wonder the same thing about my dad. Did he forget to wash his clothes? Is he eating right? But when I come home, he's always fine. Yumi and Tachi have the entire Sakura staff to wait on them. They'll be fine."

"We're back," Tamaki called as he reentered the room, the twins snickering behind him. Haruhi noticed the slight blush on his cheeks and concluded that whatever the twins had been up to—it wasn't good.

Kichi, however, didn't seem to notice. "Ok," she said, spinning around, "Let's start!" Tamaki handed her the prompts basket wordlessly, only to have it snatched away by Hikaru.

"So eager to lose?" the twin inspected his fingernails in apparent boredom as Kichi rolled her eyes.

"You know, the more you open your mouth now, the worse it's going to look when I beat you like a drum."

"How about a bet, then?" Kaoru sidled up with an innocent smile, "You lose, and you'll be our servants for, let's say, a week."

"And if you win," Hikaru said, suddenly on her other side. His warm breath tickled her ear as he bent down. "We'll be your servants, Kichi-_san_."

Alarms bell went off in Haruhi's head. "Don't do it," she warned, "They probably—"

She was stopped by a hand over her mouth. Masumi's eyes bored into hers. "Haruhi," the otaku said breathlessly, "This is serious. Potentially life-changing. It's—_exactly like a scene out of my favorite manga!_" The last bit was spoken in an excited whisper, and Haruhi caught a glimpse of Kyoya's amused smirk as he unashamedly listened from behind her.

"Whichever way this goes will be a plus," the older Sakura continued, grip over Haruhi's mouth tightening, "I can see it now, Kichi in that adorable maids outfit, or the twins in matching butler uniforms—_kawaii_!"

_And yet she has such a connection with Kyoya-sempai._

Kichi shot them a look, as if unsure about what exactly was going on. "We only have to beat your record? Ten prompts?"

"Yup."

"And this doesn't involve Haruhi, right? She doesn't get punished?"

"We'll even let her share in the benefits," Kaoru promised.

"_If_ you feel like sharing," Hikaru gaze was downright filthy, and Kichi blushed.

"Ok."

The twins exchanged high-fives.

_Sucker._

**OHSHCOHSHC**

_10_

"Go!" Tamaki said, and Kichi unfolded the first prompt.

There was two seconds of complete silence, and then she exploded into action, flipping on her hands and walking around.

"Gymnast!"

_9_

Kyoya drew Hikaru over. "I assumed you'd rigged the box."

Hikaru gave him an innocent look. "What, us? You wound me, sempai."

Kichi puckered her lips and ran over to Tamaki, ruffling his blonde hair.

"French kiss!"

_8_

Hikaru smiled sheepishly at Kyoya's raised eyebrows. "Uh, Tono wrote that one?" At Kyoya's skeptical look, he caved, "Ok, we may have added a few—more _interesting_ prompts. You know what Tono's like. It was getting boring."

"And you wanted to win the bet."

"That too."

A small squeal from Masumi made them turn back to the scene. Kichi grinded into empty air as both she and Haruhi glared at Kaoru—who was doing his best to ignore their scathing looks.

"Lap dancing."

_7_

"They're actually doing really well," Hikaru whispered to his brother, "Do you think we'll—"

"I'm more worried about the looks they've been giving us. If we win, I think Kichi might try to poison our morning tea or something."

Kichi, who'd just opened another prompt, shot them another glare, and Hikaru smirked back as she moved her hips, slowly pulling up her blouse. He caught a glimpse of a toned stomach before Haruhi understood.

"Stripper."

_6_

Kichi smiled in relief as she opened the next prompt. Luckily, it seemed that the twins hadn't managed to pervert every prompt. She held an imaginary microphone to her lips and fist-pumped.

"Singer!"

Shaking her head, she fell to her knees and began whipping her hair.

"Rockstar."

_5_

"One minute!" Tamaki called as Kichi froze, arms outstretched.

Haruhi stared at her blankly. "Uh, statue?" Kichi didn't move.

"House? Building? Tree?"

Kichi nodded vigorously, and mimicked biting into something.

"Apple tree."

_4_

She hesitated over this one, before walking over to Honey, who was still sleeping. She reached out a hand, pretending to shake him awake.

"Uh, suicide?"

The twins snickered, and Kichi shook her head. Reaching out, she mimicked shaking him again before falling backwards in horror, burying her face in her hands in mock despair. At Haruhi's confused look, Kichi sighed and turned away from the sleeping boy.

She mimicked pushing a button and then jerked backwards, waving her arms in a circular motion.

"_Oh_," Haruhi said, "Human Bomb."

_3_

"Three more," Kaoru noted, "I never thought they'd get this far."

"I still don't understand how she got, 'human bomb,'" Hikaru grumbled, "I thought that one was impossible."

"We still have our ace, though."

"If she ever chooses it."

Kichi flapped her arms and waddled, puffing out her chest proudly.

"Rooster."

She mimicked crowing.

"Cock-o-doodle-doo."

_2_

"Thirty seconds!" Tamaki yelled, completely immersed into the competition.

Kichi flipped open the prompt and grinned, flapping her arms and scrunching up her face as she jabbed a finger at Hikaru.

Hikaru scowled as the others laughed, "_That _was our ace, Karou?"

"Uh, yeah?" Kaoru said sheepishly. He ducked as Hikaru swiped at his head.

"Constipated parrot."

_1_

"One more," Kyoya noted, "And then one more to win. I wonder what Kichi will ask the twins to do for her?"

"I wouldn't be so sure about them winning," Masumi replied. She smirked, and Kyoya raised an eyebrow.

"Don't tell me you—"

"I may have snuck a few prompts in, but there's no guarantee she'll pick—"

Kichi gave a muffled squeal of frustration as she opened the prompt. Turning to Haruhi, she desperately gestured towards where Kyoya and Masumi were sitting.

"A couple?"

Kichi shook her head, made the sign for "four words" and then imitated striking a flint.

"Fifteen seconds!" Tamaki called breathlessly.

Kyoya didn't bother hiding the fact that he was impressed. "What exactly did you put?"

"Ten seconds!"

Kichi squeezed her hands together as if rolling dough.

"Five!"

She folded her hands, looking up angelically.

"Time's—"

"Match made in heaven!"

"Up!"

The floodgates blew open.

**OHSHCOHSHC**

"Stripping? French kiss? _Lap dancing?_" Kichi demanded, eyes blazing. Hikaru swore there was literally fire shooting from her gaze, it was so angry.

"Oh, grow a sense of humor," he said, "It's not like you guys lost, or anything."

"Then again, you didn't quite win, either." Kaoru said cheekily. At Kichi's furious look, he swallowed, "Uh, The lap dancing was Hikaru's idea."

"Traitor."

"I want to know who came up with the French kiss," Kichi said, "If Haruhi hadn't gotten that so fast, that might have turned out awkward."

The twins exchanged looks. "Actually, that one was all Tono's idea."

Kichi's look was beyond skeptical. "Right." She spun on her heel and walked over to Kyoya. "I'm going to see if the camera can really tell us who won."

As she sat down to the Kyoya, who was rapidly tapping into the plane's security system, Haruhi turned to the twins. "You guys really should have known better," she scolded, "You're lucking Kichi didn't pick out some of your other choices. I took a look after the game, and some of them are really—"

"Kinky?" Kaoru grinned. "You know, Haruhi—"

"—there's really something we should tell you." Hikaru finished, a catlike grin on his face, "We weren't lying. Tono really did put in the French kiss."

"All we had to do was tell him that you were the one acting the prompts out."


	10. Chapter 10

Reviews greatly appreciated, as are suggestions, requests, and other tidbits that make writers want to update!

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter 10<strong>

_Kaisei's first love was his mother. She was beautiful, happy, and the feeling of her hands stroking his hair had made him feel safe, loved,, and the most important person in the world. When she died, he swore he would never have another mother._

_Masumi's mother was sickly, and didn't have the strength to deal with this stubbornly, cold boy, but Yumi's mother was different. She was young, stubborn, and lively in ways that reminded him of his own mother. At first, this made him all the more determined to hate her, but eventually she dug her way into his life so deeply that he gave in._

_In many ways, the day she left was worse than the day his mother died._

_Kaisei hasn't opened up his heart to females very many times since then. Despite being widely popular at Ouran due to his looks and martial arts skills, he ignores the girls who give him shy looks and, though never cruel to those who confess to him, is never kind._

_Those girls he does love, however, he protects with all he is. It's why he forced himself to treat Kichi harshly while they were in public, because even though others gave him dirty looks and thought him cruel, she would be safer in the long run._

_Safer from his father._

_Kichi, Masumi, Yumi—they were the only ones he could trust. Them, he would protect, no matter the cost._

_Especially from the heartbreak of trusting a surrogate mother who could not be trusted—and those that she abandoned him for._

* * *

><p>"Could it get any hotter?"<p>

"Takashi, I'm _melt_ing."

"Hmm."

"You guys, it's not that bad."

"Of course, my dear daughter, you have probably suffered much worse."

"Actually, Sempai, I was going to say that once the limo Kaisei-sempai ordered gets here, we'll all have air conditioner." A pause. "And I'm not your daughter."

"Haruhi, don't strain him with too much information, his tiny brain will explode."

"That's right, and then who will be the King of our Host Club?"

"Then again, perhaps we could be king, Kaoru."

"That's a great idea, Hikaru, I'm sure we'd do a much better job than Tono."

"No one would even miss him."

"It's decided then. Boss," a stern finger pointed at the crestfallen Tamaki, "You are thereby evicted from the Host Club!"

"Stop teasing him," Kichi said as Tamaki crumbled into a teary, blubbering heap. She bent over slightly—even sitting down, Tamaki was only a couple inches shorter than her—and handed him an ice-cream bar, "Here, Tama-sempai. I hope you like vanilla."

Tamaki's eyes widened in absolute joy as he took the treat. "My dear Kichi," he said, grasping her by the arms, "I am touched by your heartfelt gift, and therefore encouraged. I shall stop the evil Hitachiin reign before it has even begun! As the Host Club's king, there is no way I'll allow a couple of devilish hoodlums to usurp me!"

"Oy, Tono, you're hurting her," Hikaru yanked Kichi free of the blonde's grasping hands, "Careful, or we'll sic Mori-sempai on you."

"Hmm." Mori gave the twins a dark look, and Hikaru blanched, edging away slightly.

"Uh, Hikaru?" Kichi asked, straining to look up at him, "Can you let go now?"

Hikaru glanced down, realizing that he was still holding Kichi tightly against him, and promptly let go. _I am not blushing._

He caught his twin smirking at him and felt his cheeks turn hot.

"You ok, Hika-chan?" Honey-sempai asked, "You look sick!" His voice was cheerful, but there was a dangerous undertone that sent a chill shooting up Hikaru's spine.

"I'm f-fine."

Kichi, meanwhile, was distributing ice-cream bars. "Haruhi, you like strawberry, right? And Honey-sempai loves chocolate!"

"How are you paying for this, Kichi?" Kyoya asked as he bit into his coffee-flavored ice-cream, "So much ice-cream isn't cheap."

Kichi shrugged. "Onee-chan's paying. I asked him if we could have a treat and he said 'ok, as long as it's not from an unsanitary or suspicious person.'" She turned and pointed at a nearby convenience store. "I got it there." Her face brightened as her older brother walked out of the store with a bottle of water in his hand.

"Aw, Kaisei, _onee_-chan," the twins cooed, crowding around the older boy, "We're touched. You really are just a big softy, aren't you?"

"Careful, Hitachiins, or I might accidentally break your jaws," Kaisei's voice was measured and completely unreadable. The twins scrambled away.

_He's even scarier than Honey-sempai._

_We better run before he uses that water-bottle to smash our skulls in._

"The limo's here!" Kichi bounced excitedly as she caught a glimpse of the sleek black car. The group, finishing off their treats, got in, and soon they were making their way out of the San Francisco airport.

"Now," Kaisei said as everyone settled down, "Pay attention, because I'm only going to say this once." There was something almost militant about his tone, a note of authority that snapped Honey and Mori into focus and caught the other, less trained, occupants, by surprise.

"There are only a couple rules I will ask of you, as guests of the Sakura family, to obey." Kaisei held up a finger.

"One, do not give us cause to be ashamed of you. I will not hesitate in throwing you out of Genki's house if you cause a disturbance. Two, Kichi's condition stays a secret. We cannot allow who she is and what she is capable of to get out, or I have no doubt that they will use it against us."

"So I'm just Kichi Sakura, the kid Mr. Sakura adopted from the streets," Kichi said, "Ms. Yumi might be suspicious, but she never knew what was going on, so it should be alright."

"Thirdly," Kaisei continued, "because I will be spending the majority of my time promoting the Sakura interests within Genki's company, you will have a lot of time on your hands. Do not engage in anything that will result in word getting back to Father. According to the letter Genki sent me, his son should be escorting you around California."

"And, let me guess," Kaoru whispered, "We're not to give him trouble and behave like good little children."

Kaisei shot them a small smile. "On the contrary. Feel free to make his life hell.'

**OHSHCOHSHC**

"Is he always so—"

"Impersonal? Yes, when it's about the extended Sakura family. The only one he even pretends to tolerate is Uncle Genki, and I suspect that has more to do with business than any familial feelings." Masumi shot Kyoya a wry look, "You two are alike, in that way—willing to be civil with people you hate in order to achieve your goals."

Kyoya smiled. "And his goals—"

"Protecting Kichi." Masumi's smile dimmed, "In the end, Kaisei isn't a businessman. I think he'd be happier someplace where you don't have to dig through insinuations and flattery to find the true meaning of what someone says, but when you're born a Sakura—well, it's safe to say he'll have to stay like this his whole life."

"Ah. And you?"

Masumi's lips quirked. "Is the great Kyoya Ootori seriously wondering how I feel?"

"I assure you, it's just curiosity. Nothing personal." He was surprised, once again, at how easily they fell into bantering, as if they'd met years, instead of weeks ago. "So, your views on the business life?"

"I think that Father will never even look at me while Keisei walks the earth." Masumi forced a careless smile. "So, if you're just talking to me in hopes of cultivating favor with the Sakura estates, then you're wasting your time—oh, we're here."

"Ah." Kyoya said, "So we have." Their gazes locked for a second, and then the others cross the limo space into earshot and the moment was gone. Masumi turned away with a half-bitter smile and Kyoya swallowed the words that had been about to leap out of his throat.

_Masumi Sakura, you're much more than just a possible business transaction._

The words burned on the way down.

The limo had stopped in front of a beautifully constructed hotel. "Go wait in the lobby," Kaisei said as the doors to the car were opened, "I need to make a call. Ootori, you're in charge. I'm going to hold you responsible for any misdemeanors within the group."

"Do I get paid?" The words were almost out of Kyoya's lips when he realized that, assuming he wanted to change Masumi's opinion that he was only after the money, he'd do better to keep his mouth shut. He disguised what had been his comment into a cough and led the group into the lobby.

"So," Hikaru said, arms casually held behind his head, "This is Sakura L.A. I've seen better."

"You're being rude," Kyoya said, glasses glinting. Hikaru gulped at the evil aura that was coming off the older boy in black, pulsing waves.

_Aren't you taking being in charge a little too seriously?_

"I think it's beautiful," Kichi declared as they made their way to the cluster of chairs in the lobby, where several people sat waiting.

The first, a tall, middle-aged man with bright blue eyes and no other distinguishing features, smiled and stood as they approached. "Thank you, my dear," he said, "I'm glad you like this place. I don't know if you remember me, but I'm—"

"Uncle Genki!" Masumi walked up, and the man pulled her into a hug.

"You've grown up into a beautiful young lady, Masumi." He winked. "I'm surprised Tojii hasn't locked you up to keep the suitors away." He paused, glancing around the group, "Where's Kaisei? Hopefully he hasn't been delayed…"

"Hopefully, he's rotting somewhere far, far away." This comment came from the boy who'd refused to stand when his father did. Kyoya glanced at Masumi, and the look on her face confirmed the identity of the scowling youth.

Daichi Sakura had inherited the bright blue eyes of his father, but instead of Genki's plain features, he had the clearly defined face of an aristocrat. Kyoya thought that, if things had been different, Daichi would have made a spectacular addition to the Host Club.

The lazy smirk on the boy's face would have brought in millions.

"So, going to introduce us?"

"Forgive my son," Genki said, shooting Daichi a scolding look, "He's forgetting himself."

"Not at all," Kyoya cut in smoothly, "We were being rude. I am Kyoya Ootori, this is Tamaki Suoh, Mitsukuni Haninozuka, Takashi Morinozuka, Haruhi Fujioka, and the Hitachiin twins, Hikaru and Kaoru."

"Quite a group," Genki said, the corners of his eyes crinkling, "Please, sit down."

They took a seat. "I hope that the flight was pleasant?"

"It was, very."

The amiable atmosphere snapped as a familiar voice sounded. "Hello, Mr. Genki." Kaisei's tone was polite, courteous, and completely devoid of warmth. Kyoya felt impressed despite himself.

_Sounding completely civilized while clearly letting the other man know you hate his guts is quite a trick. I wonder if I can persuade him to teach it to me._

"Nephew," Genki Sakura sounded pained, though he hid it well. If Kyoya hadn't noticed the accusatory look Masumi was aiming at her brother, he wouldn't have heard it.

"Kaisei Sakura."

"..ah. Of course." Genki turned, "Now that we're all reunited, I would like to hand you over to the care of my only son, Daichi. He will be escorting you around the states." Gesturing towards two seven-feet tall, extremely muscled men, he continued, "These will be your bodyguards. Of course, I am well acquainted with the physical prowess of the Haninozuka and Morinozuka families, but as a precaution, Carlos and Guam will see to it that you are safe. Please feel free to come to them or my son with any problems you may have."

"Your hospitality is most kind," Kaisei said, "I'm sure my sisters and—acquaintances—will be most comfortable while we talk business."

_So now we're acquaintances. How annoying._

Kaisei ignored the unpleasant aura that was pulsing from the Host Club and stood, allowing Genki to lead him to an elevator. The older man threw a last look over his shoulder as they disappeared from view. "Have fun, kids!"

Daichi gave a lazy wave, and then slumped down in his chair, Carlos and Guam standing impassively behind him. "So."

"So."

"So!"

"So?"

Haruhi shot the Host Club a disgusted look. "Morons."

If Daichi heard her, he didn't let on. "It's late. We'll eat dinner here and you guys can rest up. We'll start having fun tomorrow." He slanted his eyes at them, as if daring them to argue. "Problems?"

_Aren't we supposed to be the ones giving orders?_

"None whatsoever," Masumi smiled warmly, "Thank you, Daichi-kun."

"It's just Daichi. Using honorifics will clue people in that you're ignorant foreigners. Don't embarrass me." Daichi smiled mockingly, "Besides, old ladies shouldn't address young handsome boys like me. People will think you're a pedophile."

"Don't talk to Onee-chan like that!" Kichi stepped forward, fists raised threateningly, "Or I'll—"

"You'll what?" Daichi stretched lazily, "I don't know if you've noticed, but you're completely at my mercy during your time here. I can make it incredibly fun, or incredibly boring." He studied Kichi's face. "I don't think you were introduced."

"What kind of cousin are you?" Masumi demanded, "How can you not recognize Kichi-chan?"

"Kichi-chan—" Daichi's eyes narrowed, and he crossed the distance between them a few long strides. Kichi found her chin forced up and her eyes met Daichi's searching ones. They stared at each other, completely unaware of the deadly auras coming from the watching hosts.

"_Let go._"

Daichi turned to find a very angry Mitsukuni at his elbow and the sound of the twins cracking their knuckles above his head. He raised an eyebrow, letting Kichi go. "Sorry. I wasn't aware that you'd changed your name, Kaiya."

"Everyone calls me Kichi." She stuck out her lip stubbornly, "And the Daichi who called me 'Kaiya' wasn't as mean as you."

"Things change, Kaiya."

"Call me Kichi!"

"No."

Kichi balled her fists and spun on her heel, clearly fed up. "Mr. Carlos-san," she said, "Can you take me up to my room? There's one too many idiots here."

"I'll go with you," Haruhi offered instantly, Masumi nodding more reluctantly, "After all, we're sharing a room."

"Suite, actually," Daichi said from behind them. Kichi jumped as he snaked an arm around her waist, tilting her head backwards with the other. "I'll see you later—_Kai_ya."


	11. Chapter 11

Reviews make authors want to update!**  
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><p><strong>Chapter 11<strong>

_There are two types of change._

_One, the normal, typical and frankly healthy character shifts that come with time and maturity. These changes—though not always welcomed or appreciated at the time—are a natural part of life's cycle._

_Two, the abnormal. The aberration. The event that drastically shifts a person's personality from one to the other without preparation or time. Often, these sort of shifts are turns for the worse. A parent's murder can do it, or abuse, or trauma._

_Now, say two people who undergo the latter type of change meet before it occurs. They build a relationship, vow friendship and perhaps plant seeds for something more. Then, time goes by and that aberration occurs. They become different people. They start down different paths._

_Now, if these two people were to meet again, would they once again be able to reconnect with the people they once were?_

_Could they ever reclaim what they once had?_

_And do they want to?_

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><p>The elevator was tense, to say the least.<p>

Even after Kichi's retreat, Mitsukuni had retained control of Honey's body, and had been sending steady death waves towards Daichi, who somehow didn't seem to care at all. Mori, though more self-controlled, seemed less-than-inclined to stop his cousin if he happened to decide violence was the best course of action.

Kyoya decided that, in order to spare them all the trouble of dealing with a death Sakura heir, that he should do the mature thing and dispel the group. Unfortunately, their decision to cram into one elevator was less than wise. The things was obviously old, and though clean and decorated tastefully, moved at the speed of a bug.

Daichi smiled insincerely as the bell dinged, signaling that they'd arrived at the fourth floor. "Hope you have a nice rest."

"We _will. _Daichi-kun." Mitsukuni stalked out of the elevator like a miniature lion, Mori following closely behind him. The two shot equally deadly looks over their shoulders. The message was clear.

_After that, we'll probably kick your ass, so prepare yourself._

Tamaki shivered as the doors closed and they continued upwards. With the absence of the third-years, he'd hoped the dangerous atmosphere would dispel. Unfortunately, the twins were releasing enough death waves to make up for Mori and Honey's absence.

"So," he said, trying to break the silence, "You are friends with Princess Kichi?"

"Your floors are approaching," Daichi said, ignoring him completely, "Have a nice night."

"He didn't answer, Hikaru," a voice hissed, as Tamaki blanched.

"He must not have an answer, Kaoru," the other half replied, "Perhaps they were not even friends. Perhaps he was just some random guy Kichi felt sorry for."

Tamaki's skin whitened. _The evil doppelgangers show their face!_

Daichi's lips curved into a smirk. "You're very desperate to believe that," he said as the elevator doors opened, "Shall I tell you what you truly want to know?"

The twins shot each other a look before hopping out, Tamaki stumbling out after them. They turned in one fluid motion, arms crossed over each other. "If you insist—"

"—on telling us."

"Then I guess we can't say no."

Kyoya watched Daichi's face carefully, noting his casual stance as he pushed on the "close door" button. "Allright then," the boy said as the twins' faces became smaller and smaller, "I'll tell you. I stole Kaiya's first kiss."

The doors closed and the elevators creaked upwards—leaving the outraged shouts and furiously pounding behind. Daichi's smile was very much that of a cat, all smugness and confidence and charm.

_I stole Kaiya's first kiss._

"What is your relationship with Kichi, exactly?"Daichi glanced at the only remaining boy in the elevator, "You are aware, of course, that incest isn't legal."

"She's adopted. I didn't even know who she was when it happened." Daichi yawned. "As for the question, well, I'd tell you to go screw yourself, but I doubt you know what that means, you tourist."

"You're very confidant that I won't decide to have you beaten up," Kyoya said, and Daichi shot him a glance.

"Will you?"

"That's not the issue here." Kyoya's eyes were hidden by the gleam of his glasses, "The Ootori family has a squadron of soldiers in every country of the world. I am well-known as being protective towards my friends. You were smart enough to wait until Hikaru and Kaoru were out of the elevator before you told them. Do I not merit the same caution?"

Daichi shrugged. "You didn't seem the type to hurt someone for telling the truth." His cat-smile was back. "Also, I doubt you'd hurt anyone close to Masumi, especially someone she loves as much as me."

"I'm sure she'd get over you."

_Surprise, almost defensive. Didn't think you were that readable, did you, Ootori?_

"So, are you two dating? Good luck, the old hag is really loud."

_As if you didn't know. The fond smile, the protective glare when I called her that to her face—and I thought you were supposed to be smart._

"We're just friends, and I know you're trying to change the subject. It won't work."

_Ah. Interesting._

"Well of course it won't _now_, but it was working just a couple seconds ago." Daichi studied Kyoya Ootori with new interest. The boy wasn't looking at him, choosing instead to scan the pages of his notebook. "You're not calling your men to have me assassinated?"

"Not yet." The elevator doors dinged, and Kyoya stepped out. "However, I would watch myself if I were you. The others may not be as cool-headed as me. I'd check the food tonight for poisoning."

_Intimidating._

Daichi didn't reply as the doors shut and he started descending. Staring at himself in the mirror, he closed his eyes, and then opened them again. Sun-bleached hair, blue eyes, a face that made getting girls easy and keeping them easier. A cocky, full-lipped smile.

He studied his face, trying to figure out the mind behind the body. What had possessed him to antagonize them like that? He was no fool—they were much more powerful than he was, and he'd have to play tour-guide for them for at least three months.

What had he gained except a feeling of intense satisfaction?

_The Daichi who called me Kaiya wasn't as mean as you._

"Kaiya," he said, feeling the name flow out of his mouth like a caress, "You can't expect me to let you change without changing too, can you?"

**OHSHCOHSHC**

They ended up not eating together that night. Kichi, exhausted emotionally from her exchange with Daichi and physically from her first encounter with jet lack, fell asleep, and Haruhi soon joined her. Masumi called down to Kyoya and yawningly informed him that they were going to skip dinner—after which Kyoya decided that he didn't exactly feel like another confrontation either.

Tamaki and the twins, on the other hand, couldn't wait to see Daichi again so they could pound his face in—but the waitress informed them apologetically that "Mr. Daichi would not be able to join them that night, due to an unusual amount of work."

Mori and Honey joined the three disgruntled hosts soon after. Kaoru fills them in on what happened in their absence, and both third-years' eyes narrow. Surprisingly, the waitresses don't seem put off by the evil auras that surrounds their table—perhaps they're used to angry guests of Daichi—and comes to serve them.

It's a unanimous decision to order up their dishes to Kyoya's rooms.

"Where's Kaisei?" Hikaru demanded as he plopped down on the bed, "And why the hell didn't he tell us that Daichi liked little girls?"

"He probably doesn't even know about the kiss," Kaoru reasoned, "I can't see him letting Daichi anywhere near Kichi if he'd known they'd had—_his_tory." He makes a face as if the last word tastes nasty, and stuffs a piece of lobster into his mouth to drown it out.

"That makes sense," Kyoya mused. His own bowl of soup remains untouched as he types furiously away at his laptop. "Daichi, Daichi, Daichi Sakura—ah. Here it is." The other hosts crowded around him as he started reading. "High school sophomore—the American equivalent of second-years—student body president, involved in several competitive sports and martial arts, including basketball, football, karate, judo, and…" His glasses glinted in surprise, "Break-dancing"

"Break-a-what?" Honey asked, "Takashi, what's that?"

"I don't know."

"Aw, you poor oldies," Hikaru and Kaoru snickered, "We can see the gray hair already. Just because you're past your primes doesn't mean you shouldn't keep up with the culture of the youth—our culture, naturally."

Mori's eyes narrowed, Honey's mouth tightened, and the twins backed off so fast it was comical. "Sorry, sempai's!" They barked, "We mean no disrespect!" Kowtowing furiously, they hid behind Kyoya. "Protect us, Shadow-King-sempai!"

"Just tell us the basics of what break-dancing is," the Ootori heir said, "And I'm sure they'll forgive you."

Tamaki perked up. "Ah, I have figured it out!" he exclaimed, "I will save these insensitive twins in hopes that they will repay my kindness with the respect and honor due a king! Takashi Morinozuka," he stabbed a finger at him, "Honey Haninozuka—" the finger jabbed again, "Break-dancing undoubtedly is—" He paused for effect, "The art of breaking bones as you dance!"

Kyoya face palmed as the twins went into hysterics. Tamaki, oblivious to the merriment at his expense, continued. "Daichi Sakura no doubt masterminded the evolution of this art! It mixes the complexity of dance with the danger of the martial arts! With it, he can grace a dance hall and still defend himself from a thousand enemies! With it, he is in_vincible_!"

"Tamaki, stop making a fool out of yourself," Kyoya turned his laptop over to let the other boys see the screen. On it, were several pictures of Daichi in various position. Kyoya clicked a button, and a clip of the boy dancing began to play.

For a couple moments, there was complete silence as the Hosts gazed at the short video. There was no doubt about it—the boy was good.

Kyoya switched off the video and pushed up his glasses. "For now, this information does nothing to help us, but you should all keep it in mind. Daichi Sakura is a very well-rounded individual. Considering the fact that Kichi is not technically blood-related to him, there's no reason he would not pursue her."

"I'll give him a reason," Hikaru clenched a fist meaningfully, "We'll see how 'well-rounded' he is with a rearranged face."

_Jealous, are we?_

It wasn't only him, either. Kaoru, though less vocal than his twin, looked liked he was ready to participate in whatever beating Hikaru was planning. Honey looked positively deadly, despite the childish smile still plastered firmly on his face. Even Mori looked a bit foreboding.

Tamaki, on the other hand, looked thoughtful. "Shouldn't we let Kichi figure out her feelings for Daichi-kun by herself? After all, if our goal is to have her reinvent herself, then we have to let her make up her own mind about how she feels about others."

"And remember," Kyoya added quickly, as the other hosts turned on Tamaki, "There's no evidence that Daichi even intends to pursue Kichi romantically, so don't be too hasty."

Even as he spoke, he knew his words were falling on deaf ears. It was true—Daichi's interest, if, indeed, he had any interest, could be purely platonic, but as he remembered the look on the other boy's face. _I stole Kaiya's first kiss._

It was an interesting choice of words. Not, "I _was _Kaiya's first kiss—I _stole _Kaiya's first kiss." There'd been a territorial air to Daichi when he'd said those words, as if he was a dog marking his territory.

_No, _Kyoya decided, _He's definitely interested, and there's definitely history between him and Kichi._

Tomorrow's going to be very interesting.


	12. Chapter 12

I've started a poll about this fic, please go to my profile, "punnylove," and vote! The poll is about whose POV I should show more of. Notice that some choices have been left off—either because writing from their perspective won't suit the story or the story has mostly been written in their perspective anyway.

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><p><strong>Chapter 12<strong>

_The Host Club really doesn't have that much in common. They're all considered highly attractive, it's true—they're all wealthy, they will all become powerful, influential men in the near future. Besides these artificial points, however, a person would be hard-pressed to name any similarities._

_The Host Club in itself functions so well because they are so diverse. Customers would soon become bored if all their characteristics were identical, but because of their differences, they are able to play off of each other's strengths and weaknesses to create the perfect "mo."_

_There is, however, one trait that all of the Host Club members share._

_They are all fiercely competitive._

"Really, this is getting ridiculous," Haruhi grumbled, rolling her eyes as, once again, the twins managed to interrupt Daichi's introduction of the scenery. Not that they could see much of it—the limo's tinted glass was made to seclude those within, and it was doing its job admirably well.

Unfortunately, the "bustling city" and "charming shops" Daichi had told them about were barely visible behind the darkened glass. Combined with the twins' insistence of adding their own commentary every few seconds, their "tour" hadn't exactly produced a clear picture of their location.

"Oi," Hikaru was saying, poking Daichi in the arm, "You're boring us. Put a little excitement into your voice."

"You're in California," Kaoru said, perching on Daichi's other side, "No one says 'oi,' in California."

Haruhi had to strain to understand the fluid English. All of the hosts were apparently fluent, as was Kichi, which left her the only one with less than perfect mastery of the language. She listened intently, trying to pick out what Hikaru was saying.

"'Yo,' then. Isn't that what these rude, oafish creatures say?" She may not have been able to understand the entire sentence, but the way Hikaru was lounging against the seat—just close enough to invade Daichi's personal space—was obviously challenging. On his other side, Kaoru was doing the same thing, and Haruhi was surprised that, between the two of them, Daichi hadn't already smothered from the hostility.

However, just like all the other times, Daichi simply stood up and moved away, continuing smoothly about the "wonders of San Francisco." Haruhi felt a vague admiration for the boy, and then she caught a glimpse of Daichi's face and felt herself shiver.

There was a diabolical look in his eyes—a mischief that equaled the twins at their worst and a maliciousness that far surpassed anything the hosts had ever shown. _He's not more mature at all—he's just better at hiding it. _

"S'cuse me, Daichi," Kichi said, breaking into her cousin's description of the current weather. Haruhi had to admit—Daichi hadn't put any effort into making the spiel entertaining, it was nothing more than a bunch of facts executed like a robot.

_Then again, maybe that's his plan. Bore us to death and we'll leave him alone._

Her eyes were drawn to Kichi then as the girl stood unsteadily to tap Daichi's elbow and get his attention. At that exact moment, the car jerked, throwing the girl into Daichi and sending both of them sprawling to the ground. They weren't hurt, but as Haruhi watched, the atmosphere seemed to grow darker.

She could have sworn she heard growls from several different areas of the bus as Kichi sat up, Daichi's arms wrapped around her, his hand laying flat on her torso. "Careful, Kaiya," he said, lowering his mouth to her ear, "Keep throwing yourself at me like that and people will start to get ideas."

Kichi's face turned red and she sputtered, but Kaoru got his words out faster. "Let me give you a hand up," he said, offering a hand to the girl and shooting Hikaru, (who looked like he wanted to jump Daichi there and then), a warning look.

There was a split second where Daichi's eyes narrowed and his arms tightened, but then the lazy smile was back and he let go. Kichi took Kaoru's hand then, only to find herself pulled between the Hitachiin twins with their arms around her shoulders and waist.

"They're like a pack of wolves all going after the same sheep."

Haruhi glanced up as Kyoya sat down next to her, eyes hidden under his glasses. "Excuse me, sempai?"

"The twins. Daichi. Even Honey and Mori haven't exactly been cordial. And look at who the conflict is centered around." He glanced speculatively at the group, "Even you didn't cause as much trouble when you arrived. Perhaps it's because Kichi actually looks female—"

"Thanks, I think." Haruhi followed his gaze just in time to see a very annoyed Kichi smack both twins over the head and make her way to the opposite side of the limo. "I think Kichi can take care of herself."

"She thinks she can, too." Masumi had joined them. Haruhi glanced at her, acutely aware of the way the front of her blouse sagged just enough to reveal a bit of cleavage. "This will be good for her. Kichi needs to learn that she can't handle everything."

Kyoya coughed and moved away, leaving the two girls alone. "I'm going to ask the driver when we'll arrive at our destination."

Masumi watched him go, eyes inscrutable, before she turned to Haruhi. "Now, I want you to be completely honest," she said seriously, inching closer, "Do you think he left because I was too tempting?"

Haruhi was tempted to ask why Masumi was directing this question at her, but the mischievous, confidential way the older girl was looking at her made her change her mind. "I've never known Kyoya-sempai to find anything tempting," she admitted, "Even in the Host Club, he's more of an 'adore-from-afar' type rather than an actual Host."

"Very true. You're quite observant." Masumi studied her speculatively, "You're sharper than you seem, Haruhi Fujioka. At first glance, it looks like you don't know anything about people, but you're actually a pretty good judge of character." She smiled, her otaku side suddenly threatening to break the surface, "So tell me, darling, what do you think of me?"

_What is this, a test?_

Haruhi shrugged. "I don't know, sempai. I barely know you."

"Ah, but first impressions are often the most honest," Masumi's eyes glinted, the otaku vanishing underneath her glasses. They were real spectacles this time, and once again Haruhi found the girl's similarity to Kyoya unnerving.

A thought hit her. "You're very good at that."

There was a flash of something that might have been surprise—but Masumi's face was calm again so quickly Haruhi couldn't be sure. "Good at what?"

"Masking yourself. Switching personalities. I wondered how Kichi got so good at it—and now that I think of it, Kaisei does the same thing, doesn't he? I mean, it can't be easy for him to hit Kichi in public, not if he's willing to travel all the way to America to keep her safe."

Haruhi smiled as the revelation dawned on her. "You're not an otaku all the time—but that part's natural too, just like you're not a businesswoman all the time." She paused as Masumi made a small noise. "Uh, sempai? Sorry, I guess I shouldn't make such quick judgements—"

"No, no." Masumi let out a small laugh. "After all, I brought up the question. It would be quite rude of me to ask you to be honest and then get mad when you follow my instructions." She watched Haruhi thoughtfully, tucking a strand of hair behind her ear. "I think I'm beginning to see why they found you so interesting."

"What?"

"Nothing." Masumi turned as Kichi and one of the twins began an angry exchange. "Be a dear and go smooth things out, will you? I do believe Kichi has reached her limit."

Haruhi nodded and scooted over, leaving Masumi alone. She watched as the brown-haired cross-dresser descended upon the conflict, noting how Kichi turned to her for support much like a child did to an older sibling. Much as Kichi did with her.

"So, did she pass your evaluation?"

For a moment, she hoped it was Kyoya, but as she turned to reply she found herself faced with blue eyes and golden hair rather than Kyoya's dark features. Tamaki Suoh smiled charmingly at her. "I'm sorry about Kyoya. He can be an idiot sometimes."

"I haven't the faintest idea what you're talking about."

"Your language gets very proper when you're flustered." Tamaki sat back, obviously planning to continue the conversation. "So, did my dear daughter pass your test? Is she a good enough companion for your precious little sister?"

Masumi hesitated before deciding there was no harm in telling the truth. "She's very insightful. For some reason, both she and Kichi see the world in a completely different way than the rest of us do."

"Some call it innocence." Tamaki's eyes were affectionate as he watched the two girls, "Others call it naivety—but I've found that those the world calls naïve can actually be the wisest ones among us."

Masumi jerked at the words, turning sharply to study the other boy more closely. Tamaki Suoh had never really stood out to her before, for the exact opposite reason Kyoya had never stood out. The blonde was just too flamboyant—too much of the stereotypical prince for her to really take notice.

She supposed he'd been "hiding in plain sight," while his quieter best friend hid behind his aloof personality.

Seeing this thoughtful, contemplative side, however, Masumi felt a bit of curiosity worming its way through her. "You've been called innocent as well," she found herself saying, "Untouched by the tragedy that surrounds your childhood. The unblemished knight-in-shining-armor."

Tamaki's eyes widened. "People actually say that?" His smile flashed, bright and joyous, "Oh glorious day! My efforts have finally been acknowledged. Surely I have earned my right to be called a King, for only a ruler can be called such a noble creature as the 'knight-in-shining-armor!'"

"Keep your voice down, you're disturbing the others."

_Oh, so now you come back._

Masumi pointedly did not look at Kyoya, choosing instead to smile seductively at Tamaki. "I think you're a great King," she said, "But, as you know, all exceptional kings must find a queen…" she paused suggestively, meeting his eyes.

There was a pause.

"You are absolutely right!" Tamaki nodded vigorously, "I shall start on my quest right away." He danced off, and Masumi choked back a laugh despite herself.

"You're wasting your efforts." She turned to look at the dark-haired boy who'd finally sat down next to her. "Tamaki's an idiot. He's as dense as a brick and doesn't know what you're offering."

"And what exactly am I offering?" she asked archly, "I merely gave some good advice."

"He's in love with Haruhi." Kyoya's words were flat. "And she with him. Surely you can see that."

Masumi shrugged, letting her mane of red curls fall out of their bun and spring down her back. She arched her back, knowing full well that the movement made her breasts press against the soft fabric of her shirt. "Jealous, Kyoya?"

"I don't know what you're—" Kyoya's voice caught in his throat as the oldest Sakura girl turned and shot him the sexiest look he'd ever seen on a woman's face. _Say something, idiot, anything!_

His throat convulsed, trying to force words out, but for some reason his mouth had gone dry and he couldn't seem to gather enough saliva to form words. The silence was just about to get awkward when the sudden sound of the car jerking to a halt saved him.

Daichi, who'd been lounging nearest the driver's seat, stood up. "Come on," the boy said, "Time to enjoy your first encounter with a Californian beach."

**OHSHCOHSHC**

"I'm _bored_."

"I'm _hot._"

"We _know_." Kichi mimicked the twins' tone before she threw her hands in the air in complete exasperation, "Come on, guys, this is the beach! You can swim—"

"We didn't bring our swimming trunks."

"Or make sand-castles—"

"With what, our hands?"

"Or play beach volleyball—"

"Do you see a ball?"

Kichi glared at the two. "I give up. You two can just—_be_ bored. I'm going to find something fun to do." She stalked down the beach, "_Don't _follow me."

"Aren't you two the charming duo." The twins turned at the sound of Daichi's voice. The older boy sounded smug despite the carefully impassive look on his face, "Let me give you a clue. When they walk away, you're doing something wrong."

"Shut up. It's your fault for being a lousy tour guide anyway," Hikaru snapped, "This is your idea of a good time?"

"This is where ninety percent of tourists go on their vacations. Besides," Daichi's smirk widened, "I'm not getting paid, so what incentive do I have for taking a bunch of spoiled rich brats out to the best places in town?"

"So you're saying this is a matter of payment." Kyoya's smooth voice cut through the twins' angry reply easily. "That's quite simple to arrange. How much?"

"My father's company, plus interest."

Masumi looked like she'd just been slapped. "Daichi—"

"I'm not talking to you, old hag. I'm talking to that dick of a boyfriend you've got. Great taste, by the way."

"He is _not _my boyfriend, and watch the way you talk to me! Do I _look _old to you?" Masumi's glare intensified as Daichi opened his mouth, and the boy reconsidered what he'd been about to say before deciding that he still wanted full use of all his body parts.

He closed his mouth.

"Takashi," Honey said, pulling at the taller third-years' shorts, "I wanna go buy some ice cream from the vender. Can we? Please?"

"Sure." Mori turned to look at Daichi. "When do we meet?

Daichi looked at his watch and shrugged. "Seeing that everyone's having so much fun, we'll stay here for a couple hours. Let's meet up at two-thirty. I'm sure you all can take care of lunch arrangements yourself." By the time he reached "yourself," Honey had already disappeared, and Mori was jogging more leisurely after him.

"So," Tamaki's exuberant voice broke the brief silence that followed the third-years' departure. "What shall we do now?"

There was no answer. Haruhi patted Tamaki's back comfortingly as the blonde melted in a puddle of _noonecaresaboutme_ goo. "Come on, you guys," she said, "There has to be something fun we can do." She paused glancing at Kyoya. "Sempai, you should know some games we can play, right?"

"My area of expertise doesn't quite extend that far," Kyoya replied.

_In other words_, the others heard, _you don't know._

_Why couldn't he just say that?_

Hikaru groaned as they made their way through the sand, "It's _hot._"

"I'm _bored._"

"You guys are still complaining?" Kichi had returned, cheeks rosy from the run. She had two fliers in her hand, as well as two of the gaudiest, brightest orange hats that the others had ever seen. Hikaru and Kaoru—who were more acute to the fashion world—literally shielded their eyes from the offending object.

"What the hell is _that_," Kaoru demanded, "It's so—_orange._"

"Brilliant observation," Masumi muttered, eliciting a surprised chuckle from Kyoya. The two glanced at each other, and then away again, both a little more flushed than they had been before the exchange.

"It's a scavenger hunt," Kichi explained, "We split into groups of four and take pictures of each group. Then, we try to find the items on these lists—" she waved the fliers, "and take pictures with them. The first group to complete the entire list gets a prize! The contest starts in two minutes, so we can still enter. Who has a phone with a camera?"

"This does sound like fun," Masumi said, catching on to Kichi's infectious excitement, "I've got a phone."

"We have one too." Hikaru pulled it out, snatched the flier, and rapidly snapped a picture of himself, Kaoru, Kichi, and Daichi—whose inclusion was purely accidental.

"I guess we're a group then," Kichi said unenthusiastically, but soon perked up. "Ok, let's start!"

Masumi finished snapping a picture of their group and sending it to the contest. The two teams waited for them to get the text signaling it was time to begin. Kichi counted the seconds in her head. _Five…six…seven…eight…nine…_

There was a ringing sound as both phones showed "BEGIN!" plastered across the screens.

The game was on.

* * *

><p><em>Reviews make authors want to update.<em>


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